31 Facts About Molly Ivins

Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins was an American newspaper columnist, author, political commentator, and humorist.

Molly Ivins began her journalism career at the Minneapolis Tribune where she became the first female police reporter at the paper.

Molly Ivins joined The Texas Observer in the early 1970s and later moved to The New York Times.

Molly Ivins became a columnist for the Dallas Times Herald in the 1980s, and then the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after the Times Herald was sold and shuttered in 1991.

Molly Ivins's column was syndicated by Creators Syndicate and carried by hundreds of newspapers.

Molly Ivins was born in Monterey, California, and raised in Houston, Texas.

Molly Ivins's father, James Ivins, known as "General Jim" because of his rigid authoritarianism, was an oil and gas executive, and the family lived in Houston's affluent River Oaks neighborhood.

Molly Ivins had her first pieces of journalism published in The Review, the official student newspaper of St John's School, though she never wrote any of the political columns that would become her specialty later in life.

Molly Ivins later became co-editor of the arts and culture section of the student paper.

Molly Ivins enrolled in Scripps College in 1962, but was not happy there, and transferred to Smith College in 1963.

Molly Ivins spent her junior year at the Institute of Political Science in Paris and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1966.

Molly Ivins earned a master's degree from Columbia University's School of Journalism in 1967.

In 1970 Molly Ivins left the Tribune for the city of Austin, Texas, hired by Ronnie Dugger, to be the co-editor and political reporter for The Texas Observer.

Molly Ivins covered the Texas Legislature and befriended folklorist John Henry Faulk, Secretary of State Bob Bullock and future Governor Ann Richards, among others.

Molly Ivins gained increasing national attention through op-ed and feature stories in The New York Times and The Washington Post along with a busy speaking schedule inside and outside Texas.

Molly Ivins wrote the obituary for Elvis Presley in The New York Times for the August 17,1977 edition.

In late 1981, after receiving an offer from the Dallas Times Herald to write a column about anything she liked, Molly Ivins left New York City for Dallas.

Molly Ivins wrote for the Dallas Times Herald for ten years and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize twice.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram immediately made Molly Ivins an offer and said she could stay in Austin.

Molly Ivins accepted, and wrote a column for the Fort Worth paper from 1992 until 2001, when she became an independent journalist.

Molly Ivins's column, syndicated by Creators Syndicate, eventually appeared in nearly 400 newspapers nationwide.

Molly Ivins remained a board member and contributor to the Texas Democracy Foundation, which publishes the Texas Observer in Austin.

In 1995, humorist Florence King wrote an article in The American Enterprise claiming that Molly Ivins had plagiarized King's work in a 1988 Mother Jones article.

For more than three decades, Molly Ivins struggled with alcoholism, described in her The Nation obituary as an "occupational hazard" of journalism.

In 1999, Molly Ivins was diagnosed with stage III inflammatory breast cancer.

Molly Ivins wrote two columns in January 2007 but returned to the hospital on January 26 for further treatment.

Molly Ivins died at her Austin, Texas, home in hospice care on January 31,2007, at age 62.

Molly Ivins peppered her columns with colorful phrases to create the "feel" of Texas.

Molly Ivins enjoyed telling stories about the Texas Legislature, which she simply called "The Lege", calling it one of the most corrupt, incompetent, and funniest governing bodies in the nation.

Molly Ivins is credited with applying the nicknames "Shrub" and "Dubya" to George W Bush.

Molly Ivins supported affirmative action and denounced President Bush for choosing Martin Luther King Jr.