Thaddeus Stem Jr. (1916–1980) of Oxford, North Carolina was an American poet, author and newspaper columnist.
The major works included The Animal Fair (1960), Entries from Oxford (1971), Senator Sam Ervin's Best Stories (1973), and Thad Stem's Ark (1979).
He also sold an estimated 8,000 short pieces to North Carolina newspapers, primarily the Raleigh News and Observer and The Pilot.
Stem suffered from kidney failure during the last two years of his life, which required weekly dialysis.
The Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill houses a collection that contains Stem's correspondence and literary materials.