Frederick Exley

Frederick Exley
[1929-1992]

Fred Exley was born on March 28, 1929 in Watertown. His father Earl was the local football hero, who died before Exley could graduate from high school. In high school he was in an accident and could not graduate with the rest of the students until he recovered the next year. He moved back and forth across the US and then between Jefferson County and Florida, spending time in mental institutions, heavily drinking, and obsessed with sports (specifically Frank Gifford).

In 1968 Harper & Row published his book; A Fan's Notes, a fictional memoir (which some found disparaging to Watertown). Exley described himself as a "loser," a "drunk," a "dreamer" in an "unhuman society." In 1988 he wrote Last Notes from Home and wrote many articles for well-known magazines like Esquire and Rolling Stone.

Notable Personalities of Jefferson County