Roberta "Robin" Denise Toner (May 22, 1954 – December 12, 2008) was an American journalist from Pennsylvania. She was the first woman to be national political correspondent for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Biography

Robin Toner was born on May 22, 1954, in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

and grew up in

Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania Chadds Ford Township is an affluent township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located about southwest of Philadelphia. Prior to 1996, Chadds Ford Township was known as Birmingham Township; the name was changed to allow the township to cor ...

. Her father, Charles, was an oil refinery supervisor and World War II pilot; her mother, Mary Louise, was a homemaker. She graduated summa cum laude from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1976 with a dual major from the

College of Arts and Sciences A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...

and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Toner reported for ''

The Charleston Daily Mail The ''Charleston Daily Mail'' was a newspaper based in Charleston, West Virginia. On July 20, 2015, it merged with the ''Charleston Gazette'' to form the ''Charleston Gazette-Mail''. Publishing history The ''Daily Mail'' was founded in 1914 by ...

'' in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and ''

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' before joining the ''Times'' in 1985.Associated Press (12/12/2008)
"New York Times Reporter Robin Toner Dies at 54".
''

The Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

''. In 1996, Toner married economics correspondent Peter G. Gosselin. In 1992, Toner was the lead reporter on

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

's presidential election. She later became chief of correspondents on the paper's national desk in New York, coaching reporters in other bureaus, and also had held the title of senior writer, covering topics including abortion rights and judicial nominations.

Death and legacy

Toner died of complications resulting from

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

on December 12, 2008, and was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C. The

Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting The Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting was established in 2009 to celebrate the life and work of Robin Toner, the acclaimed late New York Times political correspondent. It is awarded by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications of ...

, awarded annually by

's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, is named after her, as is the Toner Lecture/Symposium on American politics and political journalism; together they make up the Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting, established at Syracuse University in 2009.

References

External links

Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toner, Robin 1954 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women journalists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American women writers Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C. Deaths from colorectal cancer Journalists from Pennsylvania People from Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania People from Chester, Pennsylvania S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alumni The New York Times writers The Atlanta Journal-Constitution people