Frank Sullivan
Frank Sullivan was an influential American journalist and humorist, born in September 1892 in Saratoga Springs, New York. He began his writing career as a high school student and continued as a cub reporter for The Saratogian before earning a degree from Cornell University in 1914. After serving in the army during World War I, he moved to New York City, where he wrote for several newspapers, including the New York World. Sullivan gained recognition for his humorous writing, particularly after a notorious obituary mishap led him to a humorist column. He became a prominent contributor to The New Yorker in 1926 and was known for his annual Christmas poem, "Greetings, Friends!" A member of the famed Algonquin Round Table, he collaborated with notable writers and humorists of his time, crafting a distinctive style that shaped early 20th-century American humor. His work often featured gentle satire on modern life through various comedic personas. Sullivan continued to write until his retirement in the 1960s, ultimately returning to his hometown, where he spent his later years until his passing in 1976.
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Frank Sullivan
- Born: September 22, 1892
- Birthplace: Saratoga Springs, New York
- Died: February 19, 1976
- Place of death: Saratoga Springs, New York
Biography
Journalist and humorist Frank Sullivan was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, in September of 1892. His career as journalist began while Sullivan was in high school, when his first story was published in the school paper. He worked as a cub reporter for The Saratogian until he left for college in 1910. He graduated from Cornell University in 1914. After college, Sullivan returned to The Saratogian until he was drafted into the army in 1917.
When Sullivan returned from his military service in 1919, he moved to New York City where he worked for the Herald, the Evening Sun and the New York World. Sullivan claimed that his career as a humorist began after he wrote a long obituary for a wealthy socialite for New York World, and the socialite turned out not to be dead. He was given a thrice- weekly humorist column at the New York World. He also contributed pieces to the Saturday Evening Post. Sullivan started writing for The New Yorker in 1926 and contributed to the magazine for many years thereafter; for forty-two years he composed The New Yorker’s Christmas poem, titled “Greetings, Friends!”
Sullivan was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, the group of writers and wits who gathered for luncheon conversation at the Hotel Algonquin in the 1920’s. Along with such other humorists such as Franklin P. Adams, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, and Edna Ferber, Sullivan was instrumental in creating the witty and sophisticated style of writing that came to dominate American humor in the first part of the twentieth century. He is most noted for his gentle brand of humor, which allowed Sullivan to comment on the more serious side of reality, and his invention of several comic personae, including a no-nonsense Everyman who reflects on the absurdities of modern American life; a Knickerbocker-like historian who unearths bizarre historical facts; a travel expert who has never traveled; and his celebrated expert on cliche, Mr. Arbuthnot.
Sullivan continued to write through until 1960’s when he completely retired to Saratoga Springs to garden, attend the local races, visit the local pub and receive friends from New York. The best of Sullivan’s pieces were collected in several volumes ranging from The Life and Times of Martha Hepplethwaite (1926) to Well, There’s No Harm in Laughing (1972). His books include Sullivan at Bay, The Night the Old Nostalgia Burned Down, and A Moose in the Hoose. Sullivan died in Saratoga Springs, New York, early in 1976 after being hospitalized for an intestinal ailment.