MEET JJ HARRIGAN
JJ grew up in Toledo, Ohio, the third child of Jack Harrigan, a janitor, and Mary Harrigan, a home maker. During WWII, Jack performed as an air raid warden, and Mary worked in Toledo’s jeep factory, for which the Women’s Motor Defense Corps awarded her a “Certificate of Proficiency.” That certificate now proudly adorns a wall in JJ’s home. Toledo’s jeep factory inspired one of his first novels, THE JEEPTOWN SOCK HOP.
It fell victim to the
Global Financial Crisis
of the early 2000s.
by clicking the cover or button
JJ served with the U.S. Army in Germany during the Cold War. One result of that experience was a short story published by As Your Were: the Military Review, “Thanksgiving Dinner: The Way it Wuz.”
He was not the Army’s happiest camper, as you can tell from the story, But he did do some useful things, earned an honorable discharge, and received GI Bill, for which he is grateful to this day. It enabled him to graduate from Loyola University of Chicago. With college under his belt, he went on to earn an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a PhD in Political Science from Georgetown University.
to a Brazilian University Library in Rio de Janeiro.
One of JJ’s most treasured experiences was serving as a U.S. Foreign Service officer in Latin America. Working in the Cultural Section of the American Embassy in Brazil, he became fluent in Portuguese, worked closely with Brazilians during those tumultuous years of their history, and made lifelong friends.
Much of what he learned of Latin American in those years helped in writing his award-winning novel, GOODBYE CUBA, set during the Cuban Missile Crisis. A memorable moment in Brazil was serving as liaison with and interpreter for the advance team of Senator Robert F. Kennedy Sr when he toured the country. The experience proved useful when it came to writing JJ’s second award-winning novel, GOODBYE BOBBY.
After the Foreign Service, JJ taught Political Science at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He chaired the department, served for a term as Assistant Dean of Liberal Arts, led the committee that established the University’s graduate program in Public Administration, and authored two Political Science textbooks that prospered through several editions.
where JJ taught for 30 years
While enjoying the Twin Cities landscape, JJ found his soulmate, Sandy. The luckiest thing that ever happened to him. Here they are at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis and with grandchildren at the St. Paul Winter Carnival.
