Thomas Kirwan was one of the best known and most accomplished reporters and writers in New England, and had the unusual record of serving with one newspaper for more than 32 years.
He left home at an early age, afterward living with relatives, and obtained his education in private schools and at the Central Academy in Charlottestown.
He came to Boston in the late 1840s and worked for several daily papers before moving to Portland, Maine, where he landed a reporting job with the Weekly Exposition.
When the Civil War began, he joined the Massachusettes Volunteer Infantry and fought in several battles before being discharged due to an injury received at Goldsboro, North Carolina. In later years, he wrote a regimental history of the 17th MassachusThomas Kirwan was one of the best known and most accomplished reporters and writers in New England, and had the unusual record of serving with one newspaper for more than 32 years.
He left home at an early age, afterward living with relatives, and obtained his education in private schools and at the Central Academy in Charlottestown.
He came to Boston in the late 1840s and worked for several daily papers before moving to Portland, Maine, where he landed a reporting job with the Weekly Exposition.
When the Civil War began, he joined the Massachusettes Volunteer Infantry and fought in several battles before being discharged due to an injury received at Goldsboro, North Carolina. In later years, he wrote a regimental history of the 17th Massachusetts, in which he had served.
His interest in geology led to his involvement and ownership with some mining properties in Cape Breton, throughout New England, and in the Carolinas.
In the 1870s, he returned to Boston and became a reporter for the Herald, a job he kept until almost the end of his life. In between times, he wrote books about his varied interests, including electricity and atheism. His investigative reporting included fraud and city corruption scandals.
He was the father of 12 children by 3 wives....more
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