Joseph Kraft (September 4, 1924 – January 10, 1986) was an American journalist.

Career

Kraft began his career in journalism at the age of 14 where he worked as a stringer covering high school sports for the New York World-Telegram. Kraft worked for the '' Los Angeles Times'' and Los Angeles Syndicate since July 1980 where he covered foreign affairs and national security. After working at '' The Washington Post'' and '' The New York Times'' in the 1950s, he became a speechwriter for 1960 Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. His work landed him on the master list of Nixon political opponents. He served as one of three panelists for the third and final debate, held at

Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall is a multi-use building at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It contains the largest auditorium on the campus, containing two floors of seating. The building is home to art shows, ...

at the College of William & Mary, in the 1976 presidential election. Kraft was viewed as one of America's foremost analysts of domestic and international affairs. His syndicated column ran in over 200 papers.

Education

Kraft was a graduate of Columbia University. He also attended the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and the Sorbonne.

Personal life

Kraft died on January 10, 1986, by heart failure at the age of 61. His brother, Gilman Kraft, was a publisher who was the owner of ''

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''.

Publications

Kraft was the author of four books: *''The Struggle for Algeria'' (1961) *''The Grand Design'' (1962) *''Profiles in Power'' (1966) *''The Chinese Difference'' (1973) He also wrote an extraordinary journalistic account of the explosion of Mexico's debt crisis in 1982: *
The Mexican Rescue
' (1984)

References

Sources

*McFadden, Robert D. (January 11, 1986). Joseph Kraft, Capital Columnist Whose Work Ran in 200 Papers. '' The New York Times'' *Rosenblatt, Roger (Jan. 27, 1986). The Death of a Columnist. '' Time magazine'' *Staff report (February 3, 1986). Joseph Kraft, 1924–1986. (obituary). '' The New Republic'' 1924 births 1986 deaths American male journalists Journalists from New York City Columbia College (New York) alumni Ethical Culture Fieldston School alumni 20th-century American writers 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers American expatriates in France {{US-journalist-1920s-stub