William Safire
William Safire | |
---|---|
lexicographer | |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Subject | Politics |
Spouse | Helene Belmar Julius |
Children | 2 |
William Lewis Safire (
Early life and education
Safire was born William Lewis Safir in New York City, the son of Ida (née Panish) and Oliver Craus Safir.[3][4] His family was Jewish and of Romanian origin on his father's side.[5] Safire later added the "e" to his surname for pronunciation reasons, although some of his relatives continued to use the original spelling.[6]
Safire graduated from the
Career
He was a
Safire prepared a speech called "In Event of Moon Disaster" for President Nixon to deliver on television if the
He joined The New York Times as a political columnist in 1973. Soon after joining the Times, Safire learned that he had been the target of "national security" wiretaps authorized by Nixon, and, after observing that he had worked only on domestic matters, wrote with what he characterized as "restrained fury" that he had not worked for Nixon through a difficult decade "to have him—or some lizard-lidded paranoid acting without his approval—eavesdropping on my conversations".[13]
In 1978, 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. Safire's column on October 27, 1980, entitled "The Ayatollah Votes", was quoted in a campaign ad for Ronald Reagan in that year's presidential election.[14] Safire also frequently appeared on the NBC's Meet the Press.
Upon announcing the retirement of Safire's political column in 2005, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times, said:
The New York Times without Bill 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. Reaching for his column became a critical and enjoyable part of the day for our readers across the country and around the world. Whether you agreed with him or not was never the point, his writing is delightful, informed and engaging.
Safire served as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board from 1995 to 2004. After ending his op-ed column, he became the full-time chief executive of the Dana Foundation, where he was chairman from 2000. In 2006, Safire was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.
Portions of Safire's
Writing on English
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In addition to his political columns, Safire wrote a column, "
Political views
Safire described himself as a "
I'm willing to zap conservatives when they do things that are not libertarian. [After the 9/11 attacks,] I was the first to really go after George W. on his treatment of prisoners.
After voting for
Safire was one of several voices who called for
Safire was staunchly pro-Israel. He received the
Death
Safire died from pancreatic cancer at a hospice in Rockville, Maryland, on September 27, 2009, aged 79. He was survived by his wife, Helene Belmar (née Julius); their children, Mark and Annabel; and granddaughter, Lily.[1][23]
Publications
The following is a partial list of his writings:
Language
- The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time: Wit and Wisdom from the Popular Language Column in the New York Times Magazine (2004) ISBN 0-7432-4244-0
- No Uncertain Terms: More Writing from the Popular "On Language" Column in The New York Times Magazine (2003) ISBN 0-7432-4243-2
- Take My Word for It (1986) ISBN 0-8129-1323-X
- On Language (1980) Times Books ISBN 0-8129-0937-2
- Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage (1990) ISBN 0-440-21010-0
Novels
- Scandalmonger (2000) ISBN 0-684-86719-2
- Sleeper Spy (1995) ISBN 0-679-43447-X
- ISBN 0-385-15903-X
- Full Disclosure (1978) ISBN 0-385-12115-6
Edited collections
- Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History (1997) ISBN 0-393-04005-4
- Words of Wisdom: More Good Advice (1989) ISBN 0-671-67535-4
- Good Advice (1982) quotations compiled with his brother, Leonard Safir ISBN 0-517-08473-2
Political works
- Safire's Political Dictionary, 3rd edition, Random House, NY, 1968, 1972, 1978. ISBN 0-394-50261-2
- The Relations Explosion
- Plunging into Politics
- Before the Fall: An Inside View of the Pre-Watergate White House
- The First Dissident: The Book of Job in Today's Politics, Random House, NY, 1992
Speeches
- "In Event of Moon Disaster", a presidential speech Safire wrote (but Nixon never delivered)
Citations
- ^ a b c d McFadden, Robert D. (September 27, 2009). "William Safire, Nixon Speechwriter and Times Columnist, Is Dead at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-8129-1323-1. p. 185.
- ^ William Safire Biography. BookRags.com. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ^ "No Bull Bill – People & Politics". Washingtonian. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ISBN 0-380-56457-2.
- ^ "Leonard Safir, 71, Early TV Producer And an Anthologist". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Schmuckler, Carol (April 1, 1995). "The Bond of a Lifetime". Syracuse University Magazine. 11 (3): 40. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "Safire, William. "The Cold War's Hot Kitchen," The New York Times, Friday, July 24, 2009". The New York Times. July 24, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ^ "Scanned copy of the 'In event of moon disaster' memo" (PDF). National Archives and Records Administration.
- L.A. Times. p. 5. Archived from the originalon October 29, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
- ^ a b William Safire (July 12, 1999). "Essay; Disaster Never Came". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
- ^ Keating, Joshua E. (August 1, 2013). "The Greatest Doomsday Speeches Never Made". Foreign Policy. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ Safire, William (August 9, 1973). "The Suspicious 17; ESSAY". The New York Times.
- ^ "Reagan campaign ad". Livingroomcandidate.org. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ^ Gresko, Jessica (April 13, 2010) "William Safire's FBI File Unlocked", Associated Press
- ^ Zimmer, Benjamin (September 28, 2009). "William Safire, 1929-2009". Language Log. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- ^ Zimmer, Benjamin (September 28, 2009). "Remembering the Language Maven". Word Routes: Exploring the Pathways of our Lexicon. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- ^ Safire, William (February 4, 1996). "On Language;Congenital, Liar, Punch". The New York Times.
- ^ Safire, William (January 21, 2002). "To Fight Freedom's Fight". The New York Times.
Iraqis, cheering their liberators, will lead the Arab world toward democracy
- ^ "Missing Links Found", The New York Times, November 24, 2003
- ^ "Jubilant V-I Day", The New York Times, April 10, 2003
- ^ Lake, Eli (May 13, 2008). "Bush Visit May Boost Olmert". New York Sun. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ Folkenflik, David. "Political Columnist William Safire Dies At 79". NPR. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
General and cited references
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2022) |
- Larry Berman and Bruce W. Jentleson, "Bush and the Post-Cold War World: New Challenges for American Leadership" in The Bush Presidency: First Appraisals. eds. Colin Campbell, S.J., Bert A. Rockman. 1991. Chatham House. ISBN 0-934540-90-X.
External links
- Columnist Biography, William Safire, from The New York Times
- Archive of political columns from The New York Times
- William Safire Retires Times Op-Ed Column, a January 2005 story from NPR
- William Safire to End Op-Ed Run at N.Y. Times, a November 2004 article from The Washington Post
- William Safire Papers at Syracuse University, a guide to his personal papers.
- Clinton's reaction after Safire calls his wife a liar, from the National Archives and Records Administration
- Profile: William Safire, SourceWatch
- FBI files on William Safire
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- William Safire at Find a Grave
- The short film Safire on Safire, Part I (1987) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- The short film Safire on Safire, Part II (1987) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.