Finley Peter Dunne
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Finley Peter Dunne (1867 - 1936) was a Chicago based U.S. author, writer and humorist. He wrote Mr. Dooley in Peace and War in 1898. "Mr. Dooley" became one of the first nationally syndicated newpaper features. Set in a Chicago Irish pub, Mr. Dooley, the owner and bartender would expound upon political and social issues of the day, using the thick verbiage and accent of an Irish Immigrant. Dunne's sly humor and political acumen won the support of President Theodore Roosevelt, a frequent target of Mr. Dooley's barbs.
Originally named Peter Finley Dunne, he reversed the names when he became a Chicago newspaperman. He was a charter member of a social circle of Chicago writers who frequently lampooned and competed with their New York City colleagues in pranks and outlandish stunts. He coined numerous political quips over the years. He is perhaps best known today as the originator of the aphorism "politics ain't beanbag".
As a journalist in the age of 'muckraking journalism,' Dunne was aware of the power of institutions, to include his own. Writing as Dooley, Dunne once wrote the following passage cautioning against the power of the newspapers themselves:
- "Th newspaper does ivrything f'r us. It runs th' polis foorce an' th' banks, commands th' milishy, controls th' ligislachure, baptizes th' young, marries th' foolish, comforts th' afflicted, afflicts th' comfortable, buries th' dead an' roasts thim aftherward."
From which, somewhat ironically, journalism took only a few lines as their own and stood these up as their raison d'etre. Specifically, "The business of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."
Works
- Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War (1898)
- Mr. Dooley in the Hearts of His Countrymen (1899)
- Mr. Dooley's Philosophy (1900)
- Mr. Dooley's Opinions (1901)
- Observations by Mr. Dooley (1902)
- Dissertations by Mr. Dooley (1906)
- Mr. Dooley Says (1910)
- Mr. Dooley on Making a Will and Other Necessary Evils (1919)