Jimmy Breslin

Jimmy Breslin
Name	Jimmy Breslin
Birth date	November 17, 1930
Birth place	Belmont, Queens, New York City
Death date	March 19, 2017
Death place	Manhattan, New York City
Nationality	American
Occupation	Journalist, columnist, author
Spouse	Rosemary Dattalico (m. 1953–1981), Rita Gamberdella (m. 1995)
Children	5 (including Tom Breslin)

Jimmy Breslin

Jimmy Breslin was an American newspaper columnist and author known for his streetwise, populist voice and for chronicling New York City life. He wrote for publications including the New York Daily News, New York Post, Newsday, and The New York Herald Tribune and won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his columns about urban life and public figures. Breslin combined reporting on figures like John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Donald Trump with books about organized crime, politics, and urban culture.

Early life and education

Born in the Belmont neighborhood of Queens, New York City, Breslin grew up in a working-class Irish-American family during the Great Depression. He attended Long Island University for a short time before leaving to pursue journalism, having served in the United States Army in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Early influences included newspapers such as the New York Sun and reporters at the New York Daily News and the New York World-Telegram and Sun, while local figures and neighborhoods in Bronx and Brooklyn shaped his perspective on urban character.

Journalism career

Breslin began as a copyboy and reporter at the New York Daily Mirror and later worked at the Long Island Press, New York Post, and The New York Herald Tribune. He became widely known for his columns in the New York Daily News, where his first-person narratives, sardonic humor, and attention to ordinary people resonated with readers across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and The Bronx. His coverage ranged from local crime beat reporting involving the Mafia and families like the Genovese crime family to broader political subjects such as the Kennedy administration, the Vietnam War, and municipal affairs involving Mayor Ed Koch and Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Breslin’s column style influenced columnists at publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post and brought him honors including a Pulitzer Prize and multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Major works and books

Breslin authored numerous books blending reportage, biography, and social commentary. Notable works include "How the Good Guys Finally Won," "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" (inspired by organized crime in Brooklyn), "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?" about the New York Mets and their 1962 season, and "The World According to Jimmy Breslin," a collection of columns. He wrote books on public figures and events such as Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, the Mafia, and the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Several works were adapted for film and stage, influencing portrayals in Hollywood and inspiring screenwriters and directors connected to studios like Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures.

Political reporting and influence

Breslin covered major political events and elections, reporting on campaigns for John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and others. He wrote influential columns during the 1968 Democratic National Convention era and the 1960s civil unrest that reached Harlem and South Bronx neighborhoods. Breslin’s reporting often foregrounded figures such as union leaders from Teamsters circles, local politicians in Queens County, and national operatives linked to the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee. His exposés and commentary shaped public conversations about corruption in municipal agencies, policing practices involving the New York Police Department, and urban policy debates advocated by mayors like Fiorello La Guardia and Michael Bloomberg.

Controversies and criticisms

Breslin’s blunt style generated controversy. Critics at outlets such as The New York Times and commentators like Maureen Dowd and Jimmy Fallon occasionally challenged his tone or accuracy. He faced accusations of sensationalism in coverage of organized crime figures and political operatives, and some contemporaries argued his populist framing sometimes oversimplified complex policy matters. Column disputes with editors at Newsday and the New York Daily News led to high-profile departures and debates about editorial independence. Legal controversies and libel threats arose from profiles of figures connected to crime families and business leaders in Wall Street and Midtown Manhattan.

Personal life and legacy

Breslin married Rosemary Dattalico and later Rita Gamberdella; he fathered five children and maintained close ties to neighborhoods across New York City. He mentored younger journalists who went on to work at outlets including The New Yorker, Esquire, TIME, and The Atlantic. His influence is evident in the careers of columnists at New York Magazine, the Daily Beast, and broadcast figures on WNBC and WCBS-TV. Tributes from public figures such as Mayor Bill de Blasio, writers from the PEN America community, and editors at the Columbia Journalism Review marked his death in 2017. Breslin's voice endures in anthologies, journalism courses at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and in collections housed by institutions like the New-York Historical Society.

Category:American journalists Category:People from Queens, New York Category:Pulitzer Prize winners for Commentary