Franklin P. Adams
Franklin P. Adams was an influential American journalist and columnist, born on November 15, 1881, in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career in journalism in 1903 and gained prominence after moving to New York City, where he worked for various publications, including the New York Evening Mail and the New York World. During World War I, he served as a captain in the U.S. Intelligence Service and contributed as a writer for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. Known by the pen name F. P. A., Adams penned popular columns such as "Always in Good Humour" and "The Conning Tower," which showcased his witty observations and critiques of contemporary life.
His writing often incorporated playful poetry and excerpts from notable authors, and he was an active member of the Algonquin Round Table, a famous gathering of writers. Adams's literary contributions include a trivia book co-authored in 1927 and participation in the radio quiz show "Information Please" in 1938. He passed away in New York on March 23, 1960, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most beloved columnists in journalism, celebrated for his humorous and ironic insights. His collection of writings, "Nods and Becks," remains a source of memorable quotations.
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Subject Terms
Franklin P. Adams
Columnist
- Born: November 15, 1881
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: March 23, 1960
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Franklin Pierce Adams was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 15, 1881, the son of Moses and Clara (Schlossberg) Adams. After graduating from the Armour Scientific Academy in 1889, he attended the University of Michigan for one year. Married to Minna Schwartze in 1904, and after a divorce, to Esther Sayles Root in 1925, he had four children.
Adams began his career in journalism at the Chicago Journal in 1903. The following year, he moved to New York City, where he worked for the New York Evening Mail until 1913. During World War I, he served as a captain in the U.S. Intelligence Service and then as a writer for the Stars and Stripes, working with Harold Ross and Alexander Woollcott. In 1921, he returned to New York and wrote a column for the New York World until the paper’s bankruptcy in 1931. He then worked for the New York Herald Tribune during the next six years, and for the New York Post from 1937 to 1941.
Under the pen name F. P. A., his columns, “Always in Good Humour” and “The Conning Tower,” were so popular that he was called “godfather of contemporary newspaper columns.” Well-written and witty, his columns consisted of informal observations and critiques of contemporary life. They frequently included examples of his poetry, which was playful and conventionally rhymed. The columns also included short selections from noted authors like Sinclair Lewis, Dorothy Parker, and Edna Ferber. His Saturday columns, which imitated the tone and style of Samuel Pepys’s diary, were collected in The Diary of Our Own Samuel Pepys, 1911-1934 (1935; 2 volumes).
A man of diverse interests and considerable erudition, Adams translated works of Horace and other classical authors. During the 1920’s and 1930’s, he was an active participant in the famous Algonqin Round Table, a group of well-known writers who regularly met at the Algonquin Hotel in New York. In 1927, he joined Harry Hansen to publish a popular book about trivia, Answer This One. In 1938, joined a panel of experts on the radio show, “Information Please.” He died in New York on March 23, 1960.
Adams was one of the most widely read and beloved columnists in the history of journalism. He is remembered primarily for his wit and ironic insights. A collection of his most famous writings, Nods and Becks (1944), is famous as a source of short and humorous quotations. His light poetry, published in ten volumes, was also admired by many people.