Gwenda Linda Blair (born 1943) is an American author and journalist known for her biographies of

Jessica Savitch Jessica Beth Savitch (February 1, 1947 – October 23, 1983) was an American television journalist, best known for being the weekend anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' and daily newsreader for NBC News during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Savi ...

Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the ''Little House on the Prairie'' series of children's books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood ...

, and the

family of Donald Trump The family of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and owner of The Trump Organization, is a prominent American family active in real estate, entertainment, business, and politics. Trump, his wife Melania Tr ...

. She is an adjunct associate professor at the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...

. Blair was born in Washington, D.C., to parents Newell and Greta (Flintermann) Blair. Her father was a lawyer and legal newsletter publisher. She attended Wheaton College in Massachusetts from 1960 to 1961, and graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1964. During the 1970s and 80s she was editor at New York magazines ''

Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

'', '' Seven Days'', and ''

Mademoiselle Mademoiselle (abbreviated as ''Mlle'' or ''M'') may refer to: * Mademoiselle (title), the French-language equivalent of the title "miss" Film and television * ''Mademoiselle'' (1966 film), a French-British drama directed by Tony Richardson * '' ...

'', writing a monthly column for the latter, and was a contributing editor to ''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

'' and ''

Manhattan, Inc. ''Manhattan, inc.'' was an American monthly magazine published in New York City. From 1984 to 1990 it profiled the rich and powerful figures of New York City's business world, and featured stories by prominent freelancers such as John Seabrook, Ron ...

'' Her first book was a 1983 biography of writer

, followed by a 1988 biography of news anchor

, which was adapted into a 1995 television film. Her 2000 book '' The Trumps: Three Generations That Built an Empire'' was the basis for the 2005 TV film '' Trump Unauthorized'', and was adapted and re-released as ''Donald Trump: Master Apprentice''. She appeared in the 2022 documentary Unprecedented.

Books

* ''Laura Ingalls Wilder'' (1983) * ''Almost Golden: Jessica Savitch and the Selling of Television News'' (1988) * '' The Trumps: Three Generations That Built an Empire'' (2000) * ''Donald Trump: Master Apprentice'' (2005)

References

External links

Faculty page at Columbia University
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Gwenda 1943 births Living people 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American biographers American women journalists Writers from Washington, D.C. Wheaton College (Massachusetts) alumni University of Michigan alumni American magazine editors Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism faculty Women magazine editors American women biographers 21st-century American biographers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers