John Jay Osborn, Jr.

John Jay Osborn Jr. (August 5, 1945 – October 19, 2022) was an American author, lawyer, law professor, and author of The Paper Chase, a bestselling novel published in 1971, and other works.

Early life and education Osborn was born in Boston, on August 5, 1945. His father, John Jay Sr., was a doctor at Stanford University School of Medicine; his mother was Anne (née Kidder). He was a descendant of both John Jay, a Founding Father and the first Chief Justice of the United States, and of railroad baron Cornelius Vanderbilt.

When Osborn was nine, he relocated with his family from Boston to the San Francisco Bay Area. He also did graduate work at Yale Law School. Houseman won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as contracts professor Kingsfield. The Paper Chase also became a television series, and Osborn wrote several of the scripts. He was later an associate attorney with the firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.

Law professor Osborn taught law at the University of Miami, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the UC Berkeley School of Law, He was also one of the writers, along with Thomas A. Cohen, of the screenplay for the 2010 film version of the 1983 novel The River Why by David James Duncan. His final book, Listen to the Marriage, was published in 2018.

Personal life Osborn married Emilie Heffron Sisson in 1968.

Osborn died on October 19, 2022, at his home in San Francisco, at age 77. He suffered from squamous cell cancer prior to his death. "The Man Who Would Be King" (1978) "A Day in the Life of..." (1978) "Moot Court" (1978) "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (1978) "Scavenger Hunt" (1979) "Outline Fever" (1983) "Birthday Party" (1983) "Plague of Locusts" (1983) "Snow" (1983) "Mrs. Hart" (1984) "War of the Wonks" (1984) "Billy Pierce" (1984) (teleplay only) "Decisions: Part 1" (1985) "Decisions: Part 2" (1985) The River Why (2010, with Thomas A. Cohen)