Sons of Anarchy: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About John Teller

Despite not being present during the events of the series, John “JT” Teller was a key part of Sons Of Anarchy‘s plot. JT was the founder of SAMCRO. He was also the father of the series protagonist Jax Teller. He was reported to have ɗ𝔦ᥱd a few years before the first season.

JT was apparently more righteous than other club members, and this made him eventually oppose the criminal activities that SAMCRO was engaged in. It is his opposing views that made him fallout with Clay and his wife Gemma. Here are a couple of other details viewers possibly didn’t know about John Teller.

10 His Age During Key Events

John Teller was born on May 5th, 1940. He ɗ𝔦ᥱd in 1993 as a result of an accident that was deliberately caused by Clay and Gemma. He thus was 53 years old when he ɗ𝔦ᥱd.

He founded SAMCRO with Piney and other members of the First 9 in 1968. This places his age at 28 at the time he was forming the club. Teller was 35 yrs old when he met and eventually married Gemma, and 48 when he had an affair with Maureen Ashby and got her pregnant with Trinity.

9 Military Experience

It is known that John Teller was a war veteran. It is his dreadful war experience that made him hate weapons and as a result, he dedicated much of his life to stopping SAMCRO from selling guns. His stance was on gun-dealing was a major reason why he fell out with Clay.

But what unit did Teller serve in? Jax’s father is said to have served in the 25 Infantry Division of the United States Army; together with his childhood friend, Piney Winston. He served two years in the Vietnam War (1965-1967 to be exact). He ended up forming SAMCRO shortly after he left the army.

8 He Was An Intellectual Who Loved Reading

Despite being a gang leader, John Teller was a book-smart person who would read up to three books at a time. This little detail was revealed by Piney to Tara in the fourth season after Tara got hold of Teller’s letters.

Shortly after his son Thomas Teller ɗ𝔦ᥱd at the age of six due to a congenital heart defect, John began writing a manuscript titled “The Life and ɗᥱαꚍɧ of Sam Crow: How the Sons of Anarchy Lost Their Way.” In it, he quoted great thinkers such as Emma Goldman and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. He also documented his frustrations about the club sinking too deep into crime.

7 When He Came Up With The “Sons Of Anarchy” Name

According to his manuscript “The Life and ɗᥱαꚍɧ of Sam Crow: How the Sons of Anarchy Lost Their Way,” John Teller came up with the name while he was in 8th grade. The name was used to refer to him and his close friends.

The group called themselves the Sons Of Anarchy because they believed they would change the world. He held on to the name, and when he finally left the military and thought about starting a biker club, Sons Of Anarchy was his first choice. It’s definitely a great name for a group of friends or a club.

6 His Bike

John’s motorcycle was a 1949 Harley-Davidson Panhead. He had it at the time he founded SAMCRO with the First 9.  It’s the same bike he was riding when he met his ɗᥱαꚍɧ.

According to Gemma, Lowell Harland Sr. was the only person that JT trusted to work on his bike. After JT’s ɗᥱαꚍɧ, the bike was restored and kept on display at the SAMCRO clubhouse. Unfortunately, the bike was destroyed again in Season 6 when Irish Kings bombed the clubhouse. Jax managed to rebuild it again and in the series finale, he rode it to his own ɗᥱαꚍɧ on Highway 580.

5 His Address

John Teller lived in 5024 Sandy Creek Rd. in Charming. This was revealed to be the same house that Gemma was residing in for most of the series. JT lived with Gemma in the house ever since he married her two months after meeting her.

After JT’s ɗᥱαꚍɧ, Gemma didn’t really move out despite the fact that she was involved with Clay. Since Clay often had financial problems, it’s thus not surprising that he couldn’t afford to get a better house for Gemma, a house that didn’t bring back JT’s memories.ADVERTISEMENT

4 Unser Helped In Covering Up JT’s ɗᥱαꚍɧ

Unser has been doing Clay’s bidding for years. Early on in Season 4, it was revealed that Unser, who was the deputy police chief by then, helped Clay in covering up JT. However, he was later disgusted when he found out the real reason Clay had caused JT’s ɗᥱαꚍɧ.

During a conversation between Tara and Piney, it was also revealed that shortly before his ɗᥱαꚍɧ, JT and Kellan were planning on meeting with the IRA to finally put an end to the gun-running business. This was part of the reason why Clay ƙ𝔦ℓℓed him. The other reason was that he loved Gemma. He also wanted to take over as President.

3 The Typewriter

When Gemma tells Jax that JT was a good writer later in Season One, she also tells him that she bought JT a Selectrix typewriter. He used the machine to write his manuscript. Quite ironic that Gemma kickstarted the events that would lead to the controversial manuscript.

The typewriter could be seen in the clubhouse’s storage unit throughout most of the series. Like the bike, it was also destroyed when the Irish Kings bombed the clubhouse.

2 Appearances

John Teller’s only real-life appearance in Sons Of Anarchy came during a flashback scene in Season 4’s fourth episode titled “Booster.” Before that, he had appeared briefly to Jax in a hallucination right after Jimmy O had bombed a vehicle in an effort to ƙ𝔦ℓℓ the Sons.

In the Season 4 episode, he was portrayed by actor Victor Newmark. JT’s voice can also be heard a number of times in the series, especially when Jax is reading the letters. The voice was provided by Nicholas Guest.  JT”s voice was last heard in the Season 3’s eleventh episode titled: “Bainne”.

1 He Didn’t ɗ𝔦ᥱ Immediately After The Accident

When JT was hit by a semi-truck on Nov. 11, 1993, it dragged him for about 178 yards. But he didn’t ɗ𝔦ᥱ immediately. JT stayed alive for two more days before succumbing to his injuries.

It was later revealed that Clay manipulated JT’s favorite mechanic Lowell Sr. into tampering with JT’s bike. Shortly after JT’s ɗᥱαꚍɧ, Lowell Sr. disappeared. The real details about his disappearance came to light in Season 4. Apparently Clay shot Lowell Sr. three times to prevent him from telling anyone about his involvement with JT’s ɗᥱαꚍɧ.