Career
Born James Shields, he changed his name to an anglicized spelling of its Irish version soon after high school. He worked briefly for the United States Senate (1913-1916), held jobs with various newspapers, and did publicity and advertising work. Although third-generation Irish American and never visiting Ireland, he was active in the Irish independence movement.
He was, in his own words, "a very ardent communist and a staunch supporter of the Soviet Union". However, because he disagreed with Soviet foreign policy, many communist publications (such as New Masses) refused to publish his work.
