A native of Amarillo, Texas, Timmons began his career in journalism at the age of sixteen with the former Fort Worth Record in Fort Worth, Texas. He later worked for the defunct Dallas Times-Herald, the Amarillo News, and the Milwaukee Sentinel. In 1912, he joined The Washington Post'. In 1920, Timmons created a bureau in the nation's capital, to serve newspapers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, and Ohio. In 1932, Timmons became president of the National Press Club; in that capacity, he worked thereafter to save the press club building in New York City from foreclosure. He persuaded President Franklin Roosevelt to sign an amendment to the federal bankruptcy law that blocked the foreclosure and hence kept the building open. He was a member of the Sigma Delta Chi hall of fame.
