Willis Duff Piercy

Willis Duff Piercy was an American author from Illinois, born on April 28, 1874, in Hamilton County and died on November 12, 1918, in Mount Vernon. Reliable biographical sources describe him as a writer, editor, and public figure whose career reached well beyond the page.

He is most closely associated with Great Inventions and Discoveries, published in 1911 by Charles E. Merrill Company. The book was written for general and younger readers, tracing major inventions and discoveries and explaining how they shaped everyday life. It remains the work most commonly linked with his name in library and public-domain records.

Piercy was also active in civic life. Contemporary and library-based references describe him as editor of the Mount Vernon Daily News, a representative in the Illinois House, and a popular orator in the state. No clear, verifiable portrait image was found in the sources reviewed, so a profile image is not included here.