John Morton Downey (November 14, 1901 – October 25, 1985), also known as Morton Downey, was an American singer and entertainer popular in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, enjoying his greatest success in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Downey was nicknamed "The Irish Nightingale".
Early years
John Morton Downey was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, the fourth of six children of James A. and Bessie (Cox) Downey, a well-known family in both Wallingford and Waterbury, Connecticut. Beginning on January 4, 1933, he and Donald Novis co-starred in a weekly program on NBC Radio. The Wednesday night Woodbury programs had Leon Belasco's orchestra providing accompaniment. On February 5, 1945, his transcribed program Songs by Morton Downey moved from the NBC Blue Network to the Mutual Broadcasting System. The move came after Blue Network officials adopted a policy "against the use of transcriptions for network originated programs, except where technical difficulties void live broadcasts." As a result of the shift, the number of stations carrying the program more than doubled. From 1950 to 1951, he co-hosted Star of the Family.
Personal life
Morton Downey was the father of controversial right wing television personality Morton Downey Jr. by his first wife, actress Barbara Bennett (1906–1958); she was the sister of actresses Constance and Joan Bennett. Bennett's early promise as a dancer and actress gave way to her turbulent marriage with Downey. The couple married in 1929 and divorced in 1941. She married actor Addison Randall shortly afterward. and the granddaughter of Colorado mining industrialist William Boyce Thompson.
Downey owned a house at Squaw Island, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, next to Joseph P. Kennedy's house. John and Jacqueline Kennedy rented Downey's house in the summer of 1963.
Downey's third wife was Ann Trainer, the widow of Howell Van Gerbig and the former wife of John Kevin Barry; they married in 1970.
Downey died following a stroke in 1985 in Palm Beach, Florida, aged 83. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery in his hometown of Wallingford, Connecticut.