Jim Moran

Who was Jim Moran?

James Sterling Moran was an imaginative publicist who was active as a press agent for various clients in a career that spanned five decades, from the 1930s to the 1980s. In 1989, Time ranked him as "the supreme master of that most singular marketing device--the publicity stunt."

Born in Woodstock, Virginia, in 1907. Moran was the son of a chimney maker. When he was 12 years old, he was riding a bicycle and was hit by a car. The driver was so relieved to see Moran unharmed that he gave him $100, which Moran immediately used to take a train to New Orleans, returning home two weeks later.

Instead of attending college, Moran took a variety of jobs: a tour guide in Washington, an airline executive and manager of a studio where Congressmen recorded speeches for local radio. Moran married several times but had no children.