George Nonte

George Charles Nonte, Jr.
Born (1926-02-09)February 9, 1926
Monticello, Illinois
Died January 1, 1978(1978-01-01) (aged 51)
Peoria, Illinois
Occupation Army Ordnance Corps officer; writer; editor
Nationality  United States
Spouse Theresa England Nonte

Major George Charles Nonte Jr. (February 9, 1926 – June 30, 1978) was an American expert on firearms and handloading. He was a prolific magazine writer and the author of more than 15 books.

Life and career

Nonte was born in Monticello, Illinois, United States.[1] He was the son of George C. Nonte Sr. (b. Dec. 17, 1898 d. Oct. 6, 1959). George Jr. entered the U.S. Army late in World War II and retired 20 years later, in 1964, as an Ordnance Corps Major. He was stationed in Europe, the Middle East, and in the United States. Following his retirement from the Army, he sporadically did private contract consulting work for a US government agency, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, much of it overseas. Nonte authored more than a thousand magazine articles that were published in more than a dozen outdoor and gun magazines, including The American Rifleman, Guns & Ammo, The Handloader, American Handgunner, The Rifle, Guns, and Shooting Times.[2][3][4][5]

He was a recognized expert in the firearms field. In the 1950s he began a long career as a writer on handloading and guns, and was listed in the mastheads of more than ten firearms publications.

Nonte frequently gave court testimony as an expert witness on firearms.

Nonte was peripherally involved in the investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. At the time or Kennedy's death, Nonte was an Ordnance Corps Captain, stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. An investigative report by Ray and Mary La Fontaine, published by the Washington Post in August, 1994 mentioned Nonte, and alluded to him running guns with Jack Ruby, but provided no conclusive evidence. Reports identified Nonte as "cooperative" with the FBI in the Kennedy assassination investigation, and that he assisted the FBI with information about a renegade operation by Cuban exiles that planned to again invade Cuba, following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. The same information was repeated in Ray and Mary La Fontaine's book Oswald Talked, published in 1996.

Nonte was a flamboyant character who in later life wore a handlebar mustache.[6] One of his cars was a Chevrolet Corvair that was retrofitted with a powerful engine taken from a Chevrolet Corvette.

Nonte died in his office at work on June 30, 1978.

The Major George C. Nonte Award for Excellence in Firearms Journalism is awarded annually, in Nonte's memory, by American Handgunner magazine. The first recipient of the award was Massad Ayoob.[7]

His wife was Theresa England Nonte.[8]

One of his twin daughters, Yvette, became a US Army Intelligence officer, and retired as a full Colonel.[8]

His eldest son, David Nonte, with the assistance of Edward C. Ezell and Lee Jurras completed the draft manuscript for his final book, Combat Handguns, which was published posthumously.[9]

Partial bibliography

References

  1. "Shooting with Hobie". Shootingwithhobie.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  2. "Those original great Westerns! Who better to wring out the revolvers gracing the cover of issue no. 1 of guns magazine than one of our first readers? | Guns Magazine". Find Articles. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  3. "25 Years Of Big Bore Sixguns | American Handgunner". Find Articles. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  4. "The Staff" (PDF). The Handloader Magazine (14). July–August 1968. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  5. "The Staff" (PDF). The Handloader Magazine (28). July–August 1973. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  6. "Charles Askins - The Firing Line Forums". Thefiringline.com. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  7. Archived September 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. 1 2 Chillicothe Independent
  9. Combat Handguns, Stackpole Books, 1980, p.7.
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