Elizabeth E. Brackett (née Everett;
December 11, 1941 – June 17, 2018) was an American journalist and political figure and writer. She was known for hosting
WTTW's ''
Chicago Tonight
''Chicago Tonight'' is a television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago. It reports primarily on local politics, education, business, culture, science and health, with a mix of in-studio panel discussions, one-on-one interview ...
'' program, and also worked as a correspondent for
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
' ''
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events.
Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the prog ...
''. In 1988, she won a
Peabody Award with her coverage of the
1988 U.S. presidential election
The 1988 United States presidential election was the 51st quadrennial presidential election held on Tuesday, November 8, 1988. The Republican nominee, incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush, defeated the Democratic nominee, Governor Michae ...
.
Brackett was also an unsuccessful Chicago politician, having campaigned for
William Singer as mayor in 1975 and making her own unsuccessful bid for committeewoman in the 43rd ward in 1976.
Early life and education
Brackett attended
New Trier High School in
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...
, and earned an undergraduate degree from
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...
.
While at Indiana University, she was the only woman on the diving team.
She held a master's degree in social work from
Our Lady of the Lake College.
Early career
After graduating from Our Lady of the Lake College, Brackett worked part-time as a social worker at the YMCA in the
Uptown neighborhood of Chicago.
She also worked for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as a social worker and as a community organizer in
Uptown.
In 1972, Brackett was a delegate to the
Democratic presidential convention in Miami, along with
Jesse Jackson and
William Singer.
In 1975, she was a fundraiser and advance director for Singer's unsuccessful bid to be
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Chicago.
In 1976, she unsuccessfully ran for a seat as a committeewoman in Chicago's 43rd ward.
Journalism career
In 1977, Brackett took a job as a researcher on the assignment desk of
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. Owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, the station maintains studios on West Washington Str ...
in Chicago. In 1979, she joined
WGN-TV in Chicago. She later became a reporter at
WLS-TV
WLS-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on North Stat ...
in Chicago. She then joined the forerunner to PBS' ''
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events.
Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the prog ...
'', based from Chicago, in 1984.
Brackett won a national Emmy award in 1987 for her reporting on the U.S. farm crisis. The following year, she won a national
Peabody Award for her coverage of the 1988 presidential election.
She also has won three Midwest Emmy awards and two Peter Lisagor awards as well.
In 1991, Brackett began appearing occasionally on
WTTW's ''
Chicago Tonight
''Chicago Tonight'' is a television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago. It reports primarily on local politics, education, business, culture, science and health, with a mix of in-studio panel discussions, one-on-one interview ...
'' public-affairs program. In 1994, she became a full-time a correspondent. Under the agreement, she was permitted to contribute to what would eventually become ''The NewsHour''.
From 2000 until 2001, Brackett, along with journalist and comedian
Aaron Freeman
Aaron Freeman (born June 8, 1956) is an American journalist, stand-up comedian, author, cartoonist, and blogger.
Career
During the 1990s, Freeman was the host of the weekly informational radio program ''Metropolis'' which was broadcast in the ...
, co-hosted a science-themed spin-off of ''Chicago Tonight'' called ''Chicago Tomorrow''.
In 2009, she published her book ''Pay to Play: How Rod Blagojevich Turned Political Corruption Into a National Sideshow'' about the former Illinois governor.
Personal life
Brackett married Peter Martinez on September 27, 1998. A previous marriage ended in divorce. She had two children from her first marriage: Elisabeth (born circa 1967) and Jon (born circa 1970).
She lived in the
Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. She has two sisters Ellen Everett Rieger and Jill Everett Swisher.
Brackett was also a World Champion Triathlete; she took the title in 2009 held in
Sydney. In December 2017, she appeared in ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
''s 'Faces in the Crowd' for her strong showing at a triathlon in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, Netherlands.
Death
Brackett was injured in an apparent accident while biking on the
Chicago Lakefront Trail
The Chicago Lakefront Trail (LFT) is a partial shared use path for walking, jogging, skateboarding, and cycling, located along the western shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. The trail passes through and connects Chicago's four major lak ...
on June 13, 2018.
She fractured a neck vertebra, fell into a coma and was hospitalized at
Stroger Hospital.
She died there four days later, aged 76.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brackett, Elizabeth
1941 births
2018 deaths
Accidental deaths in Illinois
American television reporters and correspondents
Illinois Democrats
Indiana University Bloomington alumni
Television anchors from Chicago
Women in Illinois politics
Writers from Chicago
American female triathletes
American women television journalists
21st-century American women