Although most people think Finley Peter Dunne, the creator of the comic Irish bartender, Mr. Dooley, was born in Ireland, he wasn't; his parents, Peter and Ellen Finley Dunne, however,

were

Irish. After separate immigrations to America, they had met, married, and settled in Chicago where their son Peter was born on July 10, 1867, hard by St. Patrick's, whose first pastor had been Dunne's uncle Dennis. Young Peter's twin died, but he still had plenty of company from his four sisters and two brothers. Ellen, from garrulous County Kilkenny, was a great reader, while Peter Sr. kept the family nourished through his prosperous carpentry work. Although young Peter was the only son deemed smart enough to attend high school, he graduated last in his class. Still, he succeeded in getting a string…

1179 words

Citation: Lowe, John. "Finley Peter Dunne". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 July 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1352, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1352 Finley Peter Dunne 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.