Son of a doctor and the eldest of eight children, Mr. O'Hara was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in 1905. After graduation from Niagara Prep School, he worked as a ship steward, railway freight clerk, gas-meter reader, amusement-park guard, soda clerk and press agent. For a time he was secretary to the late Hey wood Broun.
O'Hara's career as a reporter was equally varied. He worked first for two Pennsylvania papers and then for three in New York, where he covered everything from sports to religion. He also was on the staff of Newsweek and Time.
His two recent novels were A Rage to Live (1949) and The Farmers Hotel (1951). He was the author of the smash-hit musical comedy, Pal Joey, for which Lorenz Hart wrote the lyrics and Richard Rodgers the musical score.
His column, "Appointment with O'Hara," is now a regular feature in Collier's magazine. In 1954 Random House published Sweet and Sour, a series of weekly columns he wrote for the Trenton Times-Advertiser. Mr. O'Hara lives in Princeton, New Jersey.