Thomas J. Fleming(1927-2017)
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Novelist and historian Thomas Fleming was born in Jersey City, NJ, in 1927. His father, a World War I veteran, was a major figure in Jersey City politics for more than 30 years. His mother was a teacher in the city school system.
He graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, then did a hitch in the US Navy for a year, serving on the battleship Topeka in the South Pacific shortly before the end of the war. He returned to college after his service, earning a Bachelors Degree with honors from New York's Fordham University in 1950. He worked as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor before turning to writing full-time in 1960. His first book, "Now We Are Enemies", was an account of the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker HIll and was published in that same year. It was quite successful, and was featured as a main selection of The Literary Guild. Many of his novels focus on the Irish-American experience in Jersey City, which had been run for many years by the descendants of Irish immigrants, and he set some of his novels in the twilight of that ethnic dynasty in the city.
He has also written biographies of famous Revolutionary-era figures, such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Although his main interest was in Revolutionary Era America, he has also written books on World War I and World War II. In addition, he has written a series of historical novels involving a wealthy family named the Stapletons, tracing their history through various historical periods. He was also a consultant on the PBS documentary series The Irish in America: Long Journey Home (1998).
He graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, then did a hitch in the US Navy for a year, serving on the battleship Topeka in the South Pacific shortly before the end of the war. He returned to college after his service, earning a Bachelors Degree with honors from New York's Fordham University in 1950. He worked as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor before turning to writing full-time in 1960. His first book, "Now We Are Enemies", was an account of the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker HIll and was published in that same year. It was quite successful, and was featured as a main selection of The Literary Guild. Many of his novels focus on the Irish-American experience in Jersey City, which had been run for many years by the descendants of Irish immigrants, and he set some of his novels in the twilight of that ethnic dynasty in the city.
He has also written biographies of famous Revolutionary-era figures, such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Although his main interest was in Revolutionary Era America, he has also written books on World War I and World War II. In addition, he has written a series of historical novels involving a wealthy family named the Stapletons, tracing their history through various historical periods. He was also a consultant on the PBS documentary series The Irish in America: Long Journey Home (1998).
