John J. Floherty
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John J. Floherty, known to friends and family as "Captain Jack," was an American author who spent the first half of the twentieth century as a fixture of Port Washington, New York. He was a prolific author and Port Washington mainstay who wrote more than 40 career-oriented books for young people, including such titles as Sons of the Hurricane, Youth and the Sea, Our FBI: An Inside Story, Get That Story, Sentries of the Sea, and Five Alarm: The Story of Fire Fighting.
Floherty's books were part of a distinctive genre of mid-century nonfiction adventure writing aimed at young readers, immersing them in the workings of institutions like the FBI, the Coast Guard, and the postal service. He traveled widely and stayed with the people he was researching, spending time in lighthouses and among FBI agents to lend authenticity to his accounts. He was a very popular author of young people's books in the thirties and forties, and some of his volumes carried forewords from notable figures such as J. Edgar Hoover, reflecting the esteem in which his reportage was held.
Beyond his writing, Floherty was deeply embedded in his community and civic life. He lived in Port Washington for over 50 years, was a member of many local organizations including the Manhasset Bay Sportsmens Club and Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, helped organize the Port Washington Home Guard in 1917, and chaired the Port Washington Committee for Community Mobilization and Defense in 1941. Signed first editions of his career-adventure books, often illustrated and published by J.B. Lippincott, remain sought after by collectors of vintage American juvenile nonfiction and Americana related to mid-century professions and public service.
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