The
son of an abusive veteran, Jameson began his journalism
career as a paperboy, then copy boy for the Daily
Bugle, formerly edited by old man Jameson, whom some
presume to have been his father. A sullen and bullying
student, he quit school after becoming a reporter.
At twenty he uncovered police corruption by supposed
department hero Sam Kenner; beaten and bombed, Jameson
nonetheless exposed Kenner with the help of Bugle
owner William Goodman. He became a full-time Bugle
reporter, including a stint as a war correspondent,
criticizing most costumed heroes as glory-seeking
vigilantes upstaging the common man. Marrying his
high school sweetheart Joan, Jameson rose to editor-in-chief
and became renowned for supporting civil rights and
opposing organized crime. When Goodman's heirs put
the Bugle up for sale, Jameson tapped his last dollar
and made the newspaper his own. He worked hard to
support his wife and their son John, eventually becoming
a millionaire member in New York's elite Century Club;
although earning a reputation as a notorious miser,
he supported many charities and often helped employees
in true need. Still a reporter at heart, he ventured
to Korea for a story but was crushed when Joan was
killed by a masked gunman in his absence; this and
other self-perceived failures contributed to his distrust
of masked heroes and the heroic ideal.
In
recent years, when the superhuman performer Spider-Man
became a crimefighter, Jameson vowed to expose him
as a publicity-seeking scofflaw, and not even the
rescue of John from a space flight disaster dissuaded
him. He relied on photos from Peter Parker, not knowing
he was employing Spider-Man himself.