John Dunning (journalist)
Encyclopedia
John Dunning was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan
, USA. His father disappeared and his mother Chrystal was left to bring him up. Needing to work, she gave him to the couple who had brought her up as an orphan
. They were "dirt farmer
s" in Michigan and were in their 60's when they took Jack, which was his real name. Jack joined the US Navy in San Diego at age 16, his foster parents having died. He served in the Asian and Pacific fleets and spent some time in the merchant navy
before settling in Shanghai
, where he married a Chinese woman. he became a Lieutenant of police in the British sector of Shanghai (at that time a city divided between 4 powers, the USA
, France
, Britain
and Japan
). When the Japanese invaded China
and Shanghai he remained in his post as a non-combatant
until 1941 when the USA entered the war. He was then interned in Lunghua prison camp
where he became the representative of the prison population.
After the Japanese surrender he received the sword of the camp commandant. He worked for the US intelligence agency
OSS
. He met his second wife (Elizaveta Maximovna Smoleff) in another prison camp
. They were married in the Russian Orthodox
church in Shanghai in 1946.
In 1949, with the victory of the Communists under Mao Zedong
, the family (with one child) were obliged to leave China and arrived in the USA with nothing.
After a succession of jobs, their second child was born in Connersville, Indiana
and the family finally ended up in St. Petersburg, Florida
.
He became a boat builder and entrepreneur
but fell foul of the IRS
and left the USA for ever in 1959. The family settled in Heidelberg
, Germany
.
Jack became a journalist
for a local English language
news sheet in Heidelberg and then an author
.
In 1966 he moved to Paris
and then to Luxembourg
in 1972.
He became an author in the True Crime
genre. He used European cases and contributed many articles to American True Crime magazines. His friend Colin Wilson
in England persuaded him to publish his stories in collections in both hard- and softback form.
He held strong views on crime against children and frequently advocated the death penalty for such criminals in the foreword
s of his books. His total sales exceeded 15 million and his works were translated into many languages. His taking of Luxembourg nationality make him, by far, Luxembourg's most prolific author.
John Dunning died in Luxembourg in March 1990, leaving a wife, two daughters and two grandchildren. A third grandchild was born in 1991.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, USA. His father disappeared and his mother Chrystal was left to bring him up. Needing to work, she gave him to the couple who had brought her up as an orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
. They were "dirt farmer
Dirt Farmer
Dirt Farmer is an album by American musician Levon Helm, former drummer for The Band. The album was released on October 30, 2007 on Vanguard Records, and was Helm's first studio album since 1982. The album contains covers of songs by Steve Earle and J. B. Lenoir, and features his daughter Amy, as...
s" in Michigan and were in their 60's when they took Jack, which was his real name. Jack joined the US Navy in San Diego at age 16, his foster parents having died. He served in the Asian and Pacific fleets and spent some time in the merchant navy
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
before settling in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, where he married a Chinese woman. he became a Lieutenant of police in the British sector of Shanghai (at that time a city divided between 4 powers, the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
). When the Japanese invaded China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Shanghai he remained in his post as a non-combatant
Non-combatant
Non-combatant is a term in the law of war describing civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities, as well as persons such as medical personnel and military chaplains who are regular soldiers but are protected because of their function as well as soldiers who are hors de combat ; that is, sick,...
until 1941 when the USA entered the war. He was then interned in Lunghua prison camp
Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center
Lunghua Civil Assembly Centre was one of the internment camps eventually established by the Empire of Japan in Shanghai for European and American citizens, who had anyway been resident under Japanese occupation since December 1941. James Graham Ballard was interned in the camp as an adolescent...
where he became the representative of the prison population.
After the Japanese surrender he received the sword of the camp commandant. He worked for the US intelligence agency
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
. He met his second wife (Elizaveta Maximovna Smoleff) in another prison camp
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
. They were married in the Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
church in Shanghai in 1946.
In 1949, with the victory of the Communists under Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, the family (with one child) were obliged to leave China and arrived in the USA with nothing.
After a succession of jobs, their second child was born in Connersville, Indiana
Connersville, Indiana
At the 2000 census, there were 15,411 people, 6,382 households and 4,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,894.5 per square mile . There were 6,974 housing units at an average density of 857.3 per square mile...
and the family finally ended up in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
.
He became a boat builder and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
but fell foul of the IRS
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
and left the USA for ever in 1959. The family settled in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Jack became a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for a local English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
news sheet in Heidelberg and then an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
In 1966 he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and then to Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
in 1972.
He became an author in the True Crime
True crime
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
genre. He used European cases and contributed many articles to American True Crime magazines. His friend Colin Wilson
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson is a prolific English writer who first came to prominence as a philosopher and novelist. Wilson has since written widely on true crime, mysticism and other topics. He prefers calling his philosophy new existentialism or phenomenological existentialism.- Early biography:Born and...
in England persuaded him to publish his stories in collections in both hard- and softback form.
He held strong views on crime against children and frequently advocated the death penalty for such criminals in the foreword
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
s of his books. His total sales exceeded 15 million and his works were translated into many languages. His taking of Luxembourg nationality make him, by far, Luxembourg's most prolific author.
John Dunning died in Luxembourg in March 1990, leaving a wife, two daughters and two grandchildren. A third grandchild was born in 1991.