Martin Dardis
Martin Dardis | |
---|---|
Sergeant | |
Unit | 468th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Silver Star Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart (2) |
Other work | Policeman, investigator and reporter |
Martin F. Dardis (November 25, 1922 – May 16, 2006)[1] was an American soldier, policeman, investigator and reporter. As the chief investigator for the Dade County, Florida, state attorney in 1972, he was a key figure in the Watergate scandal, linking the Watergate burglars to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign.[2][3][4] He passed this information along to Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein.[5] Later, as a reporter for Sports Illustrated, he broke the story of baseball player Pete Rose's gambling.[4][6]
Early life and World War II
Born in Endicott, New York, Dardis dropped out of high school with an eighth-grade education. He lied about his age (16) to enlist in the United States Army.[3]
During
By the time he was discharged from the Army in 1945,[6] he had been awarded the Bronze Star Medal and two Purple Hearts.[5]
In 1988,[5] bothered that the other half-track crew had been awarded Silver Stars while his had not,[6] Dardis began researching to build a case, forwarding his findings to the Military Awards Bureau and the Board to Correct Military Injustices.[6] After 18 months of deliberation, a unanimous verdict was reached, and in June 1991, Silver Stars were awarded to Dardis and the four other members of his crew, though two had to be posthumous.[6]
Law enforcement career
Policeman and investigator
After leaving the Army, he became a policeman in his hometown of Endicott, then a New York state trooper.[6] In the 1950s, he was the police chief of North Bay Village, Florida.[5] He then became an investigator for Florida Attorney General Richard Ervin in the 1960s.[2] When Ervin's term ended in 1964, Dardis went to work for Dade County state attorney Richard Gerstein.[2] He also worked for Janet Reno.[4]
Watergate
As Gerstein's chief investigator, in 1972 Dardis was tipped off about a connection between a
Other cases
Dardis continued to uncover other major crimes, including a "$862,000 fraud at
Reporter
In 1981, Dardis went to work for Sports Illustrated as an investigative reporter.[6] He was involved in major stories, including Don Reese's revelation of widespread cocaine use in the National Football League and Pete Rose's gambling.[6] He continued working for the sports magazine until about 2005.
Personal life and death
Dardis married four times and divorced three times.[4]
He died of vascular disease in Palm City, Florida at the age of 83.[3] He was survived by his wife of 42 years, Barbara, their two children and four children by previous marriages.[3] He was buried in section 69 of Arlington National Cemetery.[1]
Portrayals
He felt he was misrepresented in Woodward and Bernstein's book All the President's Men and the 1976 film adaptation. He complained that actor Ned Beatty played him as a "buffoon".[3]
References
- ^ a b "Dardis, Martin F". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Amy Driscoll (May 17, 2006). "Martin Dardis: Obituary". Miami Herald.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Martin Dardis, 83, Watergate Investigator, Dies". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 20, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Patricia Sullivan (May 19, 2006). "Martin F. Dardis, 83; Investigator Linked Watergate Crime to Nixon". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d e f "Martin Dardis: Sergeant, United States Army". Arlington National Cemetery. May 18, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j John Papanek (June 17, 1991). "From the Editor". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 3, 2012.