Robert Anthony O'Brien was born on 19 May 1915 to Dora (nee Anthony) & Alva Duggan O'Brien of Winnipeg. The family moved to Moose Jaw around 1918 and lived there until 1926 at which time they moved to Brandon and then returned to Winnipeg in early 1930s. Following high school, O'Brien took a one year secretarial course and worked numerous part-time jobs before becoming an Insurance Investigator for Retail Credit Company in London, Ontario, a position he held for four years. At this time he began taking extra-mural courses in English and Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario.
In 1941, he enlisted in the Canadian Army, training at the University of Western Ontario Canadian Officer Training Corp, receiving the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and served as Platoon Officer, Infantry Training Officer, and Administration Officer, as well as being seconded for a period as an Intelligence Officer. He became a records officer at National Defence Headquarters (1943-1944) and then became Army Examiner at #1 District Depot (London, ON) and #12 and #13 CA(B)TC [Canadian Army Basic Training Centre, Chatham and Listowel, ON, also called CI(B)TC] from 1944-1946, attaining rank of Captain 22 May 1945. O'Brien demobilized and became a reservist in February of 1946, serving as the call-out officer at the R.C.E.M.E. School in Barriefield (ca. 1949-until Sept 1950) and a member of the General List at Central Command Personnel Selection Unit at Kingston (Reserve Force) to May 1951 when became a Librarian at the Royal Military College as a civil servant. He remained a reservist until 1953.
While serving in the Army, O'Brien received a Bachelor of Arts degree at University of Western Ontario (1947-1949) and then attended the Library School at McGill University, obtaining a Bachelor of Library Science degree (1949-1951). While working at the RMC Library, he attended Queens University, obtaining Honours standing and undertaking graduate work in the English department from 1953-1956. He did not, however, complete his degree.
From 1955 to 14 January 1975 O'Brien worked for the Kingston Whig-Standard as an Associate Editor and then Editor of Editorial page, as well as Editor of the Book page, writing book reviewers as well as art and music reviews for the paper.
After leaving the Whig, O'Brien became a partner, with Neil Patterson, in the advertising firm Frontenac Advertising Limited (1974-before Feb 1978) and then ran his own small copywriting/editing and advertising business, Copy of Distinction (1977-1982).
O'Brien authored numerous articles, particularly book reviews, for numerous publications from 1939 onward, as well as writing radio scripts and other material. He was wrote a series of semi-autobiographical short stories which he intended would be published together but they were ultimately rejected by editors. From 1975 to 1980 he produced a series of radio programmes on Big Band music which aired locally on CKLC-FM and were syndicated. He was also the author of "Frontenac at Cataraqui, 1673-1973" (1975).
He was an amateur musician who built himself a harpsichord. He also played piano and was a collector of Classical and Jazz records.
O'Brien was married in the 1940s to Lois Blanche Siemon. They separated 27 September 1971 and divorced 20 May 1975. They had a son, Courtis Charles O'Brien, who was born on 9 March 1959 and died 13 November 1977.
O'Brien died in Kingston in April 2000.
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