Born in Philadelphia 28 November, 1908, Powell graduated from Princeton University in 1930 then worked at the Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger newspaper.

 After ten years, he joined the advertising agency N. W. Ayer & Son. Following service on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff during World War II, he returned to N.W. Ayer, where he rose to vice president of information services in 1952.

 In the 1940s, Powell began writing fiction and in 1958 was able to devote himself to writing full-time. His first published books were Inner Sanctum Mysteries, published from 1943 to 1955.

His major publishing debut, The Philadelphian (1956) spent more than six months on the bestseller list, and was filmed in 1959 as The Young Philadelphians.

Bridge lover, one of his novels "Tickets to Hell" revolves around the life of a professional of the Bridge.

Richard Powell died on December 8, 1999 in Fort Myers, Florida.