Richard Reeves (American writer)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2020) |
Richard Reeves | |
---|---|
Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Stevens Institute of Technology |
Genre | History |
Spouse | Catherine O'Neill |
Children | Five |
Richard Furman Reeves (November 28, 1936 – March 25, 2020) was an American writer,
Life and career
Reeves was born in 1936 in New York City, the son of Dorothy (Forshay), an actress, and Furman W. Reeves, a judge in Hudson County, New Jersey.
The opinions of Reeves generally had a liberal bent—he opposed the war to topple Saddam Hussein as "stupid and unnecessary" (column, March 19, 2003)—but shunned "extreme" leftist positions. He paid close attention to happenings overseas and often filled his columns with explanations of current trends based on history. Many of his columns focused on the world's reaction to political actions of the United States.
He also published nine books, mostly about American politics. In 1993, he appeared in the film Dave, one of several journalists who played themselves in the film.
Reeves' weekly column, carried by
He was married to Catherine O'Neill, founder of the Women's Commission for Women and Children Refugees. Together they had five children and divided their time between Los Angeles and New York City.
In October 2004 in an article entitled "To begin with, the President is a fool", he shared his belief that John Kerry would win the 2004 presidential election. In the article, Reeves indicated that he voted absentee for the Democrat. He then shared his bias by saying: "Biased? Of course. That's why I write this column: to share my bias. I am always amazed when I get letters, many of them, accusing me of being a 'liberal' or, a lot worse, an 'elitist.' Yes, I am. Hello!"
In November 2005, Reeves stated that George W. Bush could be regarded as the worst president in U.S. history, noting: "The History News Network at George Mason University has just polled historians informally on the Bush record. Four hundred and fifteen, about a third of those contacted, answered, making the project as unofficial as it was interesting. These were the results: 338 said they believed Bush was failing, while 77 said he was succeeding. Fifty said they thought he was the worst president ever."[3]
Reeves died on March 25, 2020, in Los Angeles from cardiac arrest.[1]
Bibliography
- A Ford, Not a Lincoln, ISBN 978-0-15-132302-9
- Old Faces of 1976, ISBN 978-0-06-013526-3
- Convention, ISBN 978-0-15-122582-8
- American Journey: Traveling with Tocqueville in Search of Democracy in America, ISBN 978-0-671-24746-1
- Jet Lag: The Running Commentary of a Bicoastal Reporter, ISBN 978-0-8362-6207-0
- Passage to Peshawar: Pakistan: Between the Hindu Kush and the Arabian Sea, ISBN 978-0-671-60539-1
- The Reagan Detour, ISBN 978-0-671-60702-9
- President Kennedy: Profile of Power, ISBN 978-0-671-64879-4
- Running in Place: How Bill Clinton Disappointed America, ISBN 978-0-8362-1091-0
- Family Travels -- Around the World in 30 (Or So) Days, ISBN 978-0-8362-5285-9
- Do the Media Govern?, ISBN 978-0-8039-5606-3, (with Shanto Iyengar)
- What The People Know: Freedom and the Press, ISBN 978-0-674-61622-6
- President Nixon: Alone in the White House, ISBN 978-0-7432-2565-6
- President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination, ISBN 978-0-7432-8230-7
- A Force of Nature: The Frontier Genius of Ernest Rutherford. ISBN 978-0-3933-3369-5., about New Zealand born physicist Ernest Rutherford
- Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of The Berlin Airlift - June 1948-May 1949, ISBN 978-1416541196
- Infamy: The Shocking Story of the ISBN 978-08050-9408-4
Awards
- 1978: Silver Gavel, American Bar Association
- 1980: Emmy, for Lights, Camera, Politics!, ABC News
- 1982: Christopher Award
- 1983: Book of the Year, Christophers
- 1983: Columbia-Dupont Award, for Struggle for Birmingham, PBS
- 1984: George Foster Peabody Award, for Red Star over Khyber, PBS
- 1984: Peabody Award, Columbia University
- 1993: Book of the Year, Washington Monthly
- 1993: Non-Fiction Book of the Year, PEN
- 1997: Goldman Lecturer on American Civilization and Government, Library of Congress
- 1998: Carey McWilliams Award (distinguished contributions to the understanding of American politics), American Political Science Association
- 1998: Lifetime Achievement Award, National Society of Newspaper Columnists
- Literary Lion, New York Public Library
Honorary degrees
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- Drew University
- St. Joseph's College
References
- ^ a b c Stout, David (March 25, 2020). "Richard Reeves, Columnist and Author on Presidents, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Biographical Note". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
- ^ George W Bush, the worst president ever ? - uexpress.com