Background
Ethnicity:
New England roots back to 1600s, English and Scottish.
John Knox was born on March 5, 1907, in Rochester, New York, United States. Son of John Colgate and Louise (Foote) Jessup.
Ethnicity:
New England roots back to 1600s, English and Scottish.
John Knox was born on March 5, 1907, in Rochester, New York, United States. Son of John Colgate and Louise (Foote) Jessup.
Bachelor of Arts, Yale, 1928.
Assistant in English, Yale, 1928-1929. Assistant editor Yale Alumni Weekly, 1928-1930. With J. Walter Thompson, advertising, 1930-1935. With Time, Inc., 1935-1969, chief editorial writer Life magazine, 1951-1969. Editorial broadcaster Columbia Broadcasting System Radio, 1971-1976.
The Ideas of Henry Luce
(Essay by Henry Luce, edited and with introduction by John...)
1969(selections from the writing of John Knox Jessup)
1980Member Council Foreign Relations, Sigma Delta Chi. Clubs: Yale, Century Association (New York City).
John K. Jessup, known as Jack, was a gentleman with a princely presence, but his friend Wilder Hobson described him as "smacking of upstate." He played piano, with the joy of honky-tonk and ragtime, and with a limited skill. He also played drums, and after his retirement from Time, Inc., he tried to master the xylophone, with indifferent success. He enjoyed tennis, and he tolerated going on camping trips with his family from time to time, although he was much more comfortable in a good hotel. He had an astonishing memory for all sorts of things, from nursery rhymes to poetry to the history of nearly every corner of the world, and an ability to recall, instantly, material that he had learned decades before. His understanding of and interest in current events was profound. This made him a wonderful conversationalist for anyone, but maybe especially for other journalists. He was an extremely skilled and elegant writer, and won a number of awards during his years at Time, Inc., but he never let it go to his head. Aside from his family, the two most influential people in his life were Henry Luce, whom Jack admired for any number of reasons, and Wilder Hobson, who could always him laugh hard and long. Henry Luce's largesse towards the Time, Inc. staff enabled Jack to take financial responsibility for his extended family, including his maiden aunt, Henrietta, and his mother, Louise. He provided for family members in need, unbeknownst to everyone but those he helped.
Married Margaret Tarbox, September 23, 1932.; married second, Eunice Clark Rodman, September 11, 1937. Children: John Knox Jessup Jr., Nathaniel Foote, Amos Huntington, Rebecca Phelps, Maria Forward.
