John Leo facts for kids

John Patrick Leo (born June 16, 1935 – died May 9, 2022) was an American writer and journalist. He was known for writing articles and columns for many important newspapers and magazines. These included the National Catholic Reporter, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, and Time magazine. Later in his career, he became the editor-in-chief of "Minding the Campus," a website about colleges and universities in America. After he stopped working as a journalist, he joined the Manhattan Institute in 2007.

John Leo's Early Life and Education

John Leo was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 16, 1935. His father, Maurice, designed equipment for kitchens and hospitals. His mother, Mary, was a housewife. John grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey.

He went to Regis High School in New York City on a scholarship. He graduated in 1952. After high school, he studied philosophy and English at the University of Toronto. While there, he was also the editor of the student newspaper.

Starting His Journalism Career

After graduating in 1957, John Leo returned to New Jersey. For three years, he reported on criminal courts for the Bergen Record newspaper in Hackensack, New Jersey. In 1960, he became the editor of the Catholic Messenger. This newspaper was published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport in Davenport, Iowa.

John Leo's Journalism Career

In 1963, John Leo became an associate editor at Commonweal in New York. This was an independent Catholic magazine. He wrote a weekly column called "Thinking It Over" for the National Catholic Reporter. In his column, he strongly supported free speech and more openness within the church.

Reporting for Major Publications

In 1967, The New York Times hired John Leo. He was their first reporter to cover the world of ideas and thinkers. After leaving the Times, he worked for a short time in New York City's Environmental Protection Administration.

He soon returned to journalism. He started the "Press Clips" column in The Village Voice. He also served as the book editor for the sociology magazine Society.

From 1974 to 1987, John Leo worked at Time magazine. He wrote for the "behavior section," which covered topics like psychology, psychiatry, and new ideas. He also wrote essays and humorous pieces.

Columns on Social Issues

From 1988 to 2006, John Leo wrote a weekly column for U.S. News & World Report. This column was shared with 140 other newspapers across the country. His columns mainly focused on social and cultural issues. He often wrote about political correctness, but also about advertising, movies, language, and higher education.

One of his columns in 1995 called Time-Warner America's "leading cultural polluter." This column helped start a campaign. It led to Time-Warner selling its share in Interscope Records. This record label produced a lot of gangsta rap music.

Teaching and Writing Books

John Leo taught journalism at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. He also taught non-fiction writing at Southampton College on Long Island. He was a visiting scholar at Ralston College in his later years.

John Leo also wrote several books:

• How the Russians Invented Baseball and Other Essays of Enlightenment (ISBN: 978-0-385-29758-5) was published in 1989.
• Two Steps Ahead of the Thought Police (ISBN: 978-0-7658-0400-6) was published in 1994.
• Incorrect Thoughts (ISBN: 978-0-7658-0038-1) was published in 2001.

John Leo's Personal Life and Passing

John Leo's first marriage was to Stephanie Wolf. They had two children together, Kristin and Karen. They later divorced.

In 1978, he married Jacqueline Leo. She was a well-known editor-in-chief for publications like The Fiscal Times and Reader's Digest. They remained married until his death. John and Jacqueline had one child together named Alex.

John Leo passed away on May 9, 2022, at a hospital in The Bronx. He was 86 years old. He had Parkinson's disease and had been hospitalized for COVID-19 before his death.