William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter.
20 Facts About William Safire
2.
William Safire was a long-time syndicated political columnist for The New York Times and wrote the "On Language" column in The New York Times Magazine about popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics.
3.
William Safire's family was Jewish and of Romanian origin on his father's side.
4.
William Safire graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, a specialized public high school in New York City.
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William Safire delivered the commencement address at Syracuse in 1978 and 1990, and became a trustee of the university.
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William Safire was a public relations executive from 1955 to 1960.
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William Safire joined Nixon's campaign for the 1960 presidential race, and again in 1968.
8.
William Safire prepared a speech called "In Event of Moon Disaster" for President Nixon to deliver on television if the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the Moon.
9.
Haldeman in which William Safire suggested a protocol the administration might follow in reaction to such a disaster.
10.
William Safire joined The New York Times as a political columnist in 1973.
11.
In 1978, William Safire won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary on Bert Lance's alleged budgetary irregularities; in 1981, Lance was acquitted by a jury on all nine charges.
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The New York Times without Bill William Safire is all but unimaginable, Bill's provocative and insightful commentary has held our readers captive since he first graced our Op-Ed Page in 1973.
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William Safire served as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board from 1995 to 2004.
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In 2006, Safire was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W Bush.
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William Safire caused controversy in a January 8,1996, essay when, after reviewing her record, he concluded she was a "congenital liar".
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William Safire did not respond to the specific instances cited, but said that she did not feel offended for herself, but for her mother's sake.
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William Safire insisted that the theory was true and used it to make a case for war against Iraq.
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William Safire incorrectly predicted that "freed scientists" would lead coalition forces to "caches [of weapons of mass destruction] no inspectors could find".
19.
William Safire received the Guardian of Zion Award of Bar-Ilan University in 2005.
20.
William Safire died from pancreatic cancer at a hospice in Rockville, Maryland, on September 27,2009, aged 79.