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

John Tolkien was the name of J.R.R. Tolkien’s eldest son, John Francis Reuel Tolkien.

Born in 1917, John Francis Reuel Tolkien became a Roman Catholic priest and later served as a scholar and editor connected with his father’s work. He was J.R.R. Tolkien’s first child with Edith Bratt. The family’s religious life was important to Tolkien, who had been raised as a Catholic after his mother’s conversion.

John Tolkien is sometimes confused with his younger brother Christopher, who became the best-known editor of Tolkien’s posthumously published writings. Christopher edited The Silmarillion and The History of Middle-earth. John’s own work included involvement with Tolkien scholarship and the Tolkien Society’s early history.

J.R.R. Tolkien and Edith had four children: John, Michael, Christopher, and Priscilla. Their family life influenced several aspects of Tolkien’s imagination, including stories he told and illustrated for his children. John died in 2003, while Christopher died in 2020.