TOM BOYS: The son of Tommy Hitchcock (right) says his dad was the inspiration for Tom Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby” and owned a copy inscribed by the author that he says was stolen.
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A Texas oil honcho who says a character from “The Great Gatsby” is based on his wealthy Long Island-bred dad is suing a rare-books dealer — demanding he return a pricey signed copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel.
William Hitchcock says his flashy, polo-playing father, Tommy Hitchcock, inspired the character Tom Buchanan, prompting Fitzgerald to inscribe a special note to his late dad inside a first-edition copy of the book in 1927.
William later inherited the book — but the sentimental piece of history was swiped from his home and sold on the black market in 2006, the lawsuit claims.
“Someone grabbed it — we don’t know who. It’s still a mystery,” he told The Post yesterday.
The inscription reads: “To Tommy Hitchcock for keeps, from his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald. Los Angeles, 1927,” court papers state.
Hitchcock figured the book was long gone — until an eagle-eyed friend spotted it for sale online in April 2012.
Book dealer James Robert Cahill was selling the novel for a whopping $750,000, the suit states. Next to it, he posted a photo of and blurb about Tommy Hitchock, his son’s lawsuit claims.
The son quickly contacted the dealer, demanding that he return the novel, which he had purchased at an auction without proper certification, the lawsuit states.
The book dealer threatened to “deface” the novel, so Hitchcock contacted the FBI, the suit claims.
The feds launched a 10-month investigation — but concluded the case must be handled in civil court, according to the lawsuit, filed March 4 in Santa Ana, Calif.
Hitchcock is suing James Cahill, seeking $750,000.
“I just want my dad’s book back,” he told The Post.
His father — a World War II pilot who died in a crash — grew up in Old Westbury, attended Harvard and worked as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers.
“He had a glamorous life — and came from a prominent family — but I didn’t recognize [Tom Buchanan] as my dad the first time I read it,” Hitchcock said.
He’s said he’s not sure how his father met the famous writer, but guessed it may have been at an Ivy League mixer.
The book’s famous trophy-wife character, Daisy, was not modeled after his mother, Hitchcock said.
Cahill purchased the book at Bonham’s in 2010 for $61,000, but “did not receive any documentation of . . . history of possession,” the suit claims.
Cahill told The Post that he never threatened to deface the book and that he received proper documentation from the auction house. “I bought it from a respectful company. I’m free to do what I want with it,” he said.