John Ernest Bechdolt was an American short story writer, novelist, and journalist. He wrote under the name Jack Bechdolt as well as his full name. He worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer from 1909 to 1916, after which he moved to New York City, where he worked for Munsey Publications for a year before freelancing. His first novel, The Torch, was serialized in the magazine Argosy in 1920. Several of his stories were adapted into films.
Bechdolt served as a solicitor for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1910. During that time, he was also drawing; he was listed as a member of the Seattle Cartoonists' Club in their 1911 book The Cartoon; A Reference Book of Seattle's Successful Men. He signed one of the illustrations in the book, a caricature of a painter.
