James Joseph Kilroy

James J. Kilroy (September 26, 1902 – November 24, 1962) was shipyard inspector for the Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts during World War II. He might have been behind the meme "Kilroy was here", which became popular during World War II, typically seen in graffiti. An engraving of the meme is on the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.:

(Above image courtesy of Wiki Commons - link accessed December 17. 2024).

Before the war, he was a member of the Boston City Council and the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

• "James J. Kilroy" Wikipedia article, accessed December 17, 2024.
• "Kilroy was here" Wikipedia article, accessed December 17, 2024.

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Vital Records:

• Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4PN-2Q7 : 15 January 2020), James Joseph Kilroy, 1902.
• Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FX4Y-81N : Thu May 23 02:37:19 UTC 2024), Entry for James Joseph Kilroy and James J. Kilroy, 1902.