Joseph C. Keeley (1907–1994) was an American public relations expert who became editor of ''

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

'' magazine (1949-1963) and wrote a biography of Alfred Kohlberg called ''The China Lobby Man'' in 1969.

Background

Joseph Charles Keeley was born on August 10, 1907, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the son of William T. and Martha C. Keeley; he had two brothers. In 1930, Keeley graduated from Columbia University.

Career

Initially, Keeley went into public relations with clients like Ford Motor Company, Kellogg, Union Carbide, and National Dairy. In 1944-1945, Keeley served as a

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

in the United States Marine Corps. After the war, he joined the staff of ''

'' magazine, of which he served as editor from 1949 to 1963. He also contributed to the ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'', '' Catholic Digest'', '' Reader's Digest'', '' The American Home'', and '' Coronet (magazine)'' magazines.

Personal life and death

Keeley married Helen Kline; they had two children. Keeley died age 86 on April 1, 1994.

Works

Books: Keeley's work includes a biography of Alfred Kohlberg: * ''They sold themselves; a practical guide to personal achievement'' with Howard Stephenson (1937) * ''Making inventions pay; a practical guide to selling, protecting, manufacturing, and marketing your inventions'' (1950) * ''Taking it easy with your camera'' (1957) * ''The China Lobby Man: The Story of Alfred Kohlberg'' (1969) * ''Left-leaning antenna; political bias in television'' (1971) ''The China Lobby Man'' had extensive appendices, of which Appendix G listed individuals with ties to both IPR and Communism, including:

Solomon Adler Solomon Adler (August 6, 1909 – August 4, 1994) worked as United States Department of the Treasury, U.S. Treasury representative in China during World War II. Adler was identified by Whittaker Chambers and Elizabeth Bentley as a Soviet spy and r ...

James S. Allen James S. "Jim" Allen, born Sol Auerbach (1906–1986), was an American Marxist historian, journalist, editor, activist, and functionary of the Communist Party USA. Allen is best remembered as the author and editor of over two dozen books and pamph ...

(AKA Sol Auerbach), Joseph Fels Barnes, T.A. Bisson,

Edward C. Carter Edward Clark Carter (June 9, 1878 – November 9, 1954) worked with the International Y.M.C.A. in India and in France, during World War I, from 1902 to 1918, but was best known for his work with the Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR), of which he ...

, Frank Coe,

Lauchlin Currie Lauchlin Bernard Currie (October 8, 1902 – December 23, 1993) worked as White House economic adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II (1939–45). From 1949 to 1953, he directed a major World Bank mission to Colombia and re ...

, Len De Caux, Laurence Duggan,

Israel Epstein Israel Epstein (20 April 1915 – 26 May 2005) was a Polish-born Chinese journalist and author. He was one of the few foreign-born Chinese citizens of non-Chinese origin to become a member of the Chinese Communist Party. Early life and educatio ...

John K. Fairbank John King Fairbank (May 24, 1907 – September 14, 1991) was an American historian of China and United States–China relations. He taught at Harvard University from 1936 until his retirement in 1977. He is credited with building the field of Ch ...

Frederick V. Field Frederick Vanderbilt Field (April 13, 1905 – February 1, 2000) was an American leftist political activist, political writer and a great-great-grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt, disinherited by his wealthy relatives for ...

Alger Hiss Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American government official accused in 1948 of having spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Statutes of limitations had expired for espionage, but he was convicted of perjury in con ...

, Philip Jaffe, Corliss Lamont, Owen Lattimore, William Marx Mandel, Hotsumi Ozaki,

Lee Pressman Lee Pressman (July 1, 1906 – November 20, 1969) was a labor attorney and earlier a US government functionary, publicly alleged in 1948 to have been a spy for Soviet intelligence during the mid-1930s (as a member of the Ware Group), following hi ...

, Andrew Roth,

John S. Service John Stewart Service (August 3, 1909 – February 3, 1999) was an American diplomat who served in the Foreign Service in China prior to and during World War II. Considered one of the State Department's "China Hands", he was an important member ...

, Agnes Smedley, Edgar Snow, Guenther Stein, Anna Louise Strong, Mary Van Kleeck, John Carter Vincent, Harry Dexter White, and Ella Winter. Articles:
Articles in ''American Legion'' magazine
* "Myths About Secret Inventions," ''Coronet'' magazine (1953)

Legacy

Keeley's papers, archived at the Hoover Institution, include "letters, memoranda, and circulated material, prepared by Alfred Kohlberg, 1944, relating to alleged communist influence in the Institute of Pacific Relations."

References

External links

Overview of the Joseph C. Keeley miscellaneous papers
1907 births 1994 deaths Columbia University alumni {{US-writer-stub