John Jay Osborn, Jr. is the author of the bestselling novel, The Paper Chase, a fictional account of one Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

 student's battles with the imperious Professor Charles Kingsfield. The book was made into a movie starring John Houseman

John Houseman

John Houseman was a Romanian-born British-American actor and film producer who became known for his highly publicized collaboration with director Orson Welles from their days in the Federal Theatre Project through to the production of Citizen Kane...

 and Timothy Bottoms

Timothy Bottoms

-Early life:Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, California, the eldest son of Betty and James "Bud" Bottoms, who is a sculptor and art teacher. He is the brother of actors Joseph Bottoms , Sam Bottoms and Ben Bottoms . In 1967, Bottoms toured Europe as part of the Santa Barbara Madrigal...

. Houseman won an Oscar

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

 for his performance as contracts professor Kingsfield. The Paper Chase also became a popular television series

The Paper Chase (TV series)

The Paper Chase is a television series based on a 1970 novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr., as well as a 1973 film based on the novel. It follows the lives of law student James T. Hart and his classmates at Harvard Law School.-Production:...

. Osborn wrote many of the scripts. Osborn's other books include The Associates, The Man Who Owned New York, and The Only Thing I've Done Wrong. His third novel, The Associates, was adapted into a short-lived television series

The Associates (U.S. TV series)

The Associates is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1979-1980. The series starred Martin Short and was cancelled after nine of its thirteen episodes aired, but was nominated for two Golden Globes after its cancellation...

 starring Martin Short

Martin Short

Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...

 and Wilfrid Hyde-White

Wilfrid Hyde-White

Wilfrid Hyde-White was an English character actor.-Early life and career:Wilfrid Hyde White was born at the rectory in Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire, the son of William Edward White, canon of Gloucester Cathedral, and his wife, Ethel Adelaide Drought...

.

He is one of the writers (along with Thomas A. Cohen) of the screenplay for the film version of the 1983 novel The River Why

The River Why

The River Why is an independent film based on the 1983 Sierra Club novel of the same name by David James Duncan.The film stars Zach Gilford, William Hurt and Amber Heard and is directed by Matthew Leutwyler.Showtime broadcast the film in August 2011...

by David James Duncan

David James Duncan

David James Duncan is an American novelist and essayist, best known for his two bestselling novels, The River Why and The Brothers K...

. The movie, starring William Hurt

William Hurt

William McGill Hurt is an American stage and film actor. He received his acting training at the Juilliard School, and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut as a troubled scientist in the science-fiction feature Altered States , for which he received a Golden Globe nomination...

 and Kathleen Quinlan

Kathleen Quinlan

Kathleen Denise Quinlan is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actress, mostly seen on television and in motion pictures.-Personal life:...

, was screened in 2010 at various film festivals.

Background

His parents were John Jay and Anne Kidder Osborn and he is a descendant of John Jay

John Jay

John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....

, the first Chief Justice of the United States

Chief Justice of the United States

The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...

 and of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...

. He is married to Emilie H. S. Osborn, a physician with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization with medical offices in more than 15 cities throughout the Bay Area. PAMF’s roots can be traced back to 1930 when Dr. Russel Van Arsdale Lee founded the Palo Alto Medical Clinic...

.

He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1967 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1970. He also did graduate work at Yale Law School

Yale Law School

Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...

. He taught law at the University of Miami

University of Miami

The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is the law school of Yeshiva University, located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The school is named for Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo. Cardozo's success as a young school has been remarkable, leading some to characterize Cardozo as a...

 at Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...

 and The University of San Francisco School of Law

The University of San Francisco School of Law

The University of San Francisco School of Law is the American Bar Association approved law school of the private University of San Francisco, California. Established in 1912, the law school has approximately 700 students. It received ABA approval in 1935...

, from which he retired in 2010. He clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...

 and was an attorney with the firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP , founded in 1919, is a law firm headquartered in New York City.-Notable alumni:*Attorney General of the United States and former federal judge Michael B...

.