John Kieran
John Francis Kieran, born on August 2, 1892, in the Bronx, New York, was a prominent American writer known for his contributions to sports journalism and nature writing. Growing up in an educated family, Kieran had a passion for learning and bird-watching, which eventually shaped his career. He attended the College of the City of New York and Fordham University, graduating with a degree in 1912. Kieran's diverse professional journey included teaching, farming, and working for the civil service before he became a sportswriter for The New York Times, where he created the newspaper's first bylined sports column, "Sports of the Times," in 1927.
Over the years, Kieran gained widespread recognition not only for his sports columns but also for his role as a panelist on the popular radio quiz show Information, Please, and later as the host of Kieran's Kaleidoscope, one of the first widely syndicated television shows. Additionally, Kieran authored several books, with notable titles in both sports and nature, including works on the Olympic Games and a biography of John James Audubon. His dedication to natural history culminated in the award-winning A Natural History of New York City. Known affectionately as "America's walking encyclopedia," Kieran passed away on December 10, 1981, leaving behind a legacy in both journalism and literature.
On this Page
Subject Terms
John Kieran
- Born: August 2, 1892
- Birthplace: Bronx, New York
- Died: December 10, 1981
- Place of death: Rockport, Massachusetts
Biography
John Francis Kieran was born on August 2, 1892, in the Bronx, New York. He was one of seven children born to educators James Michael Kieran, the first president of Hunter College, and Kate Donahue Kieran. An eager scholar and an amateur bird-watcher from childhood, Kieran attended the College of the City of New York (now City College of the City University of New York) from 1908 until 1911 and then transferred to Fordham University, where he earned a B.S. cum laude in 1912.
Kieran worked at a number of jobs after he graduated from college. He taught at a two-pupil rural school, ran a chicken farm, and held a civil service job as timekeeper for a sewage construction project. Between 1914 and 1922, he was a sportswriter for The New York Times, but his work from 1918 through 1919, when he served in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Kieran married Alma Boldtmann in 1919, and the couple had three children, James Michael, John Francis Jr., and Beatrice. Alma died in 1944 and Kieran married journalist Margaret Ford in 1947.
Kieran was a baseball writer for the New York Tribune from 1922 through 1925 and then briefly worked as a columnist at the New York American. He returned to The New York Times in 1927, where he launched the newspaper’s first bylined sports column, “Sports of the Times.” The column continues to this day, and over the years has been written by a succession of sportswriters.
Kieran’s column was enormously popular with readers, thanks to the author’s well-rounded education and keen wit that brought a new level of sophistication to sportswriting. In 1941, Kiernan became a columnist for the New York Sun, leaving that job in 1944 to become a freelance writer. He received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award in 1973 for his contributions to baseball writing.
Between 1938 and 1948, Kieran gained considerable fame beyond the boundaries of sport as a panelist on Information, Please, a long-running radioquiz show. The show was moderated by host Clifton Fadiman and featured regular panelists Franklin P. Adams, a columnist for the New York Post, and pianist-composer-actor-raconteur Oscar Levant, as well as guest experts, such as Alfred Hitchcock and comedian Groucho Marx. Kieran and his colleagues would attempt to answer questions on a variety of subject posed by listeners, often providing humorous and entertaining responses. Kieran later hosted television’s first widely syndicated show, Kieran’s Kaleidoscope, which aired from 1949 through 1952.
Kieran contributed many articles to periodicals and wrote several books about sports, most notably The Story of the Olympic Games: 776 B.C, -1936 A.D. and The American Sporting Scene. However, he probably is better remembered today for his many nature books, including Footnotes on Nature, An Introduction to Birds, An Introduction to Trees, and John James Audubon, a biography written with his wife, Margaret. Kieran’s labor of love, A Natural History of New York City, won the Burroughs Medal.
Kieran, whom some called “America’s walking encyclopedia,” died on December 10, 1981.