John Geoghegan (1917 – December 28, 1999) was an American publisher.

John Geoghegan
Jack Geoghegan in his office at Coward, McCann & Geoghegan
Geoghegan in his office
Born1917
DiedDecember 28, 1999
OccupationPublisher
Military career
Years of service1942-1945
Editor in Chief at Coward-McCann
In office
1959–1961
President then Chairman at Coward-McCann
In office
1961–1981

Early life

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Geoghegan was born in Philadelphia.[1]

Career

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Geoghegan started his career as a book salesman, a job he did for 14 years.[1]

He served in the United States Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945.[1]

In 1959, Geoghegan joined the publishers Coward-McCann in 1959 as editor-in-chief, and in 1961, became president, and then chairman.[1] The company later became Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, and he was chairman until his resignation in 1981, over the corporate business school mentality that was coming to dominate publishing.[1] Afterwards, he was an editor-at-large at William Morrow and Company from 1981 to 1982.[2][3]

He and the literary scout Lena Wickman are credited with "discovering" John le Carré and his debut novel The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.[1][4][5]

Personal life

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Geoghegan died on December 28, 1999, in a hospital in Walnut Creek, California, of complications from a brain aneurysm.[1]

He was married to Carole, and had a daughter, Maggie Geoghegan-Bedecarre; three sons, Michael, Peter, and John; and a stepson, Arthur E. de Cordova III.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h McDowell, Edwin (30 December 1999). "John Geoghegan, 82, Publisher; Acquired le Carre Best Seller". New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  2. ^ McDowell, Edwin (1981-06-30). "Geoghegan and Marek Join New Book Houses". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  3. ^ McDowell, Edwin (1982-06-27). "About Books and Authors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  4. ^ "Smiley's safe house: Tucked away in West London and very hard to watch". Alex Peake-Tomkinson. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  5. ^ Adam Sisman (19 October 2015). John le Carré: The Biography. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 242–243. ISBN 978-1-4088-4944-6. Retrieved 22 March 2018.