What was the name of J.R.R. Tolkien’s eldest son, who became a priest?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s eldest son was John Francis Reuel Tolkien, commonly known as John Tolkien.

Born in 1917, John became a Roman Catholic priest and later served in parish ministry. He was the first of Tolkien’s four children with Edith Tolkien. His religious vocation reflected the family’s strong Catholic identity, which Tolkien regarded as central to his life and thought.

Christopher Tolkien, Tolkien’s second son, is often the family member most associated with his father’s literary legacy because he edited and published many posthumous works. That prominence can lead readers to mistake Christopher for the eldest child.

Tolkien’s other children were Michael and Priscilla. The family’s experiences, including stories told to the children, helped shape parts of Tolkien’s creative life, although the fictional characters and events in Middle-earth should not be reduced to direct portraits of his family.