William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009
[Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.]) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential
speechwriter. He was a long-time
syndicated
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
political columnist for ''
The New York Times'' and wrote the "On Language" column in ''
The New York Times Magazine'' about popular
etymology, new or unusual usages, and other
language-related topics.
Early life
Safire was born William Lewis Safir in
New York City, the son of Ida ( Panish) and Oliver Craus Safir. His family was Jewish and of Romanian origin on his father's side.
Safire later added the "e" to his surname for pronunciation reasons, although some of his relatives continued to use the original spelling.
Safire graduated from the
Bronx High School of Science, a
specialized public high school in New York City. He attended
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, commonly known as Newhouse School, is the communications and journalism school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. It has programs in print and broadcast journalism; music business; graphic d ...
at
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 ...
but dropped out after two years. He delivered the commencement address at Syracuse in 1978 and 1990, and became a trustee of the university.
Career
He was a
public relations executive from 1955 to 1960. Previously, he had been a radio and television producer and an
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
correspondent. He worked as a publicist for a homebuilder who exhibited a model home at an American
trade fair at
Sokolniki Park in Moscow in 1959—the one in which
Richard Nixon and
Nikita Khrushchev had their
Kitchen Debate. A much circulated
black-and-white photograph of the event was taken by Safire. Safire joined Nixon's campaign for the
1960 presidential race, and again in
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
. After Nixon's 1968 victory, Safire served as a speechwriter for him and for
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second vice president to resign the position, the other being John ...
; he is known for having created Agnew's famous term, "nattering nabobs of negativism".
Safire prepared a speech called "In Event of Moon Disaster" for President Nixon to deliver on television if the
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, a ...
astronauts were stranded on the Moon. According to the plans,
Mission Control would "close down communications" with the
LEM
Lem may refer to:
Places
* 3836 Lem, an asteroid named after Stanisław Lem
* , a municipality in Jutland
People Given name or nickname
(Alphabetical by surname)
* Lemuel Lem Barney (born 1945), American football player
* Lem Billings (1916–1 ...
and a clergyman would have commended their souls to "the deepest of the deep" in a public ritual likened to
burial at sea
Burial at sea is the disposal of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries.
Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many different locations ...
. Presidential telephone calls to the astronauts' wives were also planned. The speech originated in a memo from Safire to Nixon's
chief of staff H. R. Haldeman in which Safire suggested a protocol the administration might follow in reaction to such a disaster.
[
] The last line of the prepared text contained an allusion to
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915)The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. was an En ...
's
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
poem "
The Soldier".
In a 2013 piece for ''
Foreign Policy
A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...
'' magazine,
Joshua Keating Joshua Keating is a foreign policy analyst, staff writer and author of the ''World'' blog at ''Slate'', and a former writer and editor at ''Foreign Policy'' magazine.
Media coverage
Keating's ''Slate'' posts have been republished in many venues, s ...
included the speech as one of six entries in a list of "The Greatest Doomsday Speeches Never Made".
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".
In 1978, Safire won the
Pulitzer Prize for
Commentary on
Bert Lance
Thomas Bertram "Bert" Lance (June 3, 1931 – August 15, 2013) was an American businessman who served as director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter in 1977. He is known mainly for resigning from the Carter admini ...
'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
Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیتالله, āyatollāh) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.
Etymology
The title is originally derived from ...
Votes", was quoted in a campaign ad for
Ronald Reagan in
that year's presidential election. 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.
Arthur Ochs "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr. (born September 22, 1951) is an American journalist.
Sulzberger was the chairman of The New York Times Company from 1997 to 2020, and the publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1992 to 2018.
Early life and ...
, 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
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
by President
George W. Bush.
Portions of Safire's
FBI file were released in 2010. The documents "detail wiretapping ordered by the Nixon administration, including the tapping of Safire's phone".
Writing on English
In addition to his political columns, Safire wrote a column, "
On Language", in the weekly ''
The New York Times Magazine'' from 1979 until the month of his death. Many of the columns were collected in books.
According to the linguist
Geoffrey Pullum, over the years Safire became less of a "grammar-nitpicker," and
Benjamin Zimmer cited Safire's willingness to learn from
descriptive linguists. Another book on language was ''The New Language of Politics'' (1968),
[ which developed into what Zimmer called Safire's "magnum opus," ''Safire's Political Dictionary''.
]
Political views
Safire described himself as a " libertarian conservative". A ''Washington Post'' story on the ending of his op-ed column quotes him on the subject:
I'm willing to zap conservatives when they do things that are not libertarian. 9/11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
,] I was the first to really go after George W. Bush, George W. on his treatment of prisoners.
After voting for Bill Clinton in 1992 United States presidential election, 1992, Safire became one of the leading critics of Clinton's administration. Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...
in particular was often the target of his ire. He caused controversy in a January 8, 1996, essay when, after reviewing her record, he concluded she was a "congenital liar". She did not respond to the specific instances cited, but said that she didn't feel offended for herself, but for her mother's sake. According to the president's press secretary at the time, Mike McCurry, "the President, if he were not the President, would have delivered a more forceful response to that on the bridge of Mr. Safire's nose".
Safire was one of several voices who called for war with Iraq, and predicted a "quick war" and wrote: "Iraqis, cheering their liberators, will lead the Arab world toward democracy." He consistently brought up the point in his ''Times'' columns that an Iraqi intelligence agent met with Mohamed Atta, one of the 9/11 attackers, in Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, which he called an "undisputed fact". According to the CIA and the FBI, they were unable to confirm or deny the validity of this assertion. The source who made these allegations is alleged to have become concerned that such a meeting could have harmed his career. Nonetheless, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (sometimes also spelled Shaikh; also known by at least 50 pseudonyms; born March 1, 1964 or April 14, 1965) is a Pakistani Islamist militant held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp under terrorism-r ...
and Ramzi bin al-Shibh do deny that the meeting took place. Safire insisted that the theory was true and used it to make a case for war against Iraq. He also incorrectly predicted that "freed scientists" would lead coalition forces to "caches f weapons of mass destruction
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hist ...
no inspectors could find".
Safire was staunchly pro-Israel. He received the Guardian of Zion Award The Guardian of Zion Award is an annual award given since 1997 to individuals who have been supportive of the State of Israel. It is awarded at the Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies at Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, ...
of Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic ...
in 2005. President George W. Bush appointed him to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.
Death
Safire died from pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of panc ...
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.
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)
* ''No Uncertain Terms: More Writing from the Popular "On Language" Column in The New York Times Magazine'' (2003)
* ''Take My Word for It'' (1986)
* ''On Language'' (1980) Times Books
* ''Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage'' (1990)
Novels
* ''Scandalmonger'' (2000)
* ''Sleeper Spy'' (1995)
* ''Freedom: A Novel of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War'' (1987)
* ''Full Disclosure'' (1978)
Edited collections
* ''Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History'' (1997)
* ''Words of Wisdom: More Good Advice'' (1989)
* ''Good Advice'' (1982) quotations compiled with his brother, Leonard Safir
Political works
* ''Safire's Political Dictionary'', 3rd edition, Random House, NY, 1968, 1972, 1978.
* ''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
General and cited references
* 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. .
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
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
''
William Safire Papers at Syracuse University
a guide to his personal papers.
from the National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
Profile: William Safire
SourceWatch
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org.
History
CMD was founded in 1993 by progre ...
FBI files on William Safire
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Safire, William
1929 births
2009 deaths
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American writers
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American writers
American columnists
American libertarians
American male journalists
American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
American political commentators
The Bronx High School of Science alumni
Causes and prelude of the Iraq War
Deaths from cancer in Maryland
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
English etymology
Etymologists
Jewish American journalists
Jewish American writers
The New York Times columnists
Nixon administration personnel
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alumni
Speechwriters for presidents of the United States
Writers from New York City