John Wood Campbell, Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an influential figure in science fiction. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction (later called Analog Science Fiction and Fact), from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.
Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in science fiction ever, and for the first ten years of his editorship he dominated the field completely." As a writer, Campbell published super-science space opera under his own name and moody, less pulpish stories as Don A. Stuart. However, he stopped writing fiction after he became editor of Astounding.
Reading his story "Uncertainty" (aka "The Greatest Weapon") in an issue of "Science Fiction Adventures Classics," one of the mainly reprint digests that flourished in the 70s.