Nathaniel Schachner was an American lawyer, author, and historian who made significant contributions to both early science fiction and American historical biography. Born in 1895, Schachner practiced law while pursuing a deep interest in space exploration. In the early 1930s, he became a founding member and officer of the American Interplanetary Society (later the American Rocket Society), an organization that pioneered liquid fuel rocketry in the United States.
Alongside his scientific and legal pursuits, Schachner established himself as a prolific writer during the pulp era of the 1930s and the onset of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Writing under the names Nat Schachner and Nathan Schachner, he contributed more than fifty short stories to popular pulp magazines such as Astounding Stories, Terror Tales, Horror Stories, and Fantastic Adventures. Notably, he is recognized for introducing the concept of the "Grandfather paradox" to science fiction, a staple trope of time-travel literature.
In the latter part of his career, Schachner transitioned from speculative fiction to historical non-fiction and fiction. He earned widespread recognition for his meticulously researched biographies of key figures from the American Revolutionary Era, most notably Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. He continued writing and researching until his death in 1955.
