Notable people · Literature · Journalism
Jim Tully
Writer born near St. Marys, Ohio, who spent six years in a Cincinnati orphanage after his mother's death, then worked as a chain maker, boxer and tree surgeon in Kent before moving to Hollywood in 1912. His memoir Beggars of Life (1924) was filmed in 1928; he was praised for hard-boiled writing.
At a glance
- Born
- 1886-06-03
- Died
- 1947-06-22
- Education
- minimal formal schooling
- Known as
- Literature, Journalism
Life story
Jim Tully was born near St. Marys, Ohio, in 1886 to Irish immigrant parents. After his mother died in 1892 his father placed him in a Cincinnati orphanage, where he stayed about six years.
He had almost no schooling. He rode freight trains, boxed, worked as a chain maker and as a tree surgeon in Kent, Ohio, and read in public libraries.
He moved to Hollywood in 1912 and began serious writing. His 1924 memoir Beggars of Life made his name, and H. L. Mencken praised his hard-boiled style.
He married three times and died in 1947. He is buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.
Timeline
- 1886-06-03: Born (near St. Marys, OH) source
- 1892: Mother dies; placed in Cincinnati orphanage (Cincinnati, OH) source
- 1910: Marries Florence May Bushnell (Kent, OH) source
- 1912: Moves to Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA) source
- 1922: Emmett Lawler published (United States) source
- 1924: Beggars of Life published (United States) source
- 1927: Circus Parade published (United States) source
- 1947-06-22: Dies (California) source
What Jim is known for
- Beggars of Life (1924), filmed 1928
- Celebrity profiles of Hollywood
- Emmett Lawler (1922)
- Beggars of Life (1924, filmed 1928)
- Circus Parade (1927)
- Shanty Irish (1928)
- The Bruiser (1936)
Honors and things named for them
- Praised as a hard-boiled writer by H. L. Mencken and others
Family
- wife: Florence May Bushnell
- wife: Margaret Rider Myers
- wife: Myrtle Zwetow
- son: T. Alton Tully
- daughter: Trilby Jean Tully
Ohio places
Where Jim Tully was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: near St. Marys, Auglaize County ZIP 45885 · Auglaize County
- Lived: Cincinnati (orphanage), Hamilton County ZIP 45202 · Cincinnati · Hamilton County
- Lived: Kent, Portage County ZIP 44240 · Kent · Portage County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Jim Tully (Wikipedia) born near St. Marys 1886-06-03; died 1947-06-22; Cincinnati orphanage; Kent; Beggars of Life