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Times Columnist William Safire Dead at 79

Ex-Nixon speechwriter, Pulitzer winner was forceful voice on right

By M. Morris,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 27, 2009 1:54 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist William Safire died today outside Washington, the paper reports. He was 79 and suffered from cancer. A onetime speechwriter for Richard Nixon, Safire, a self-described "libertarian conservative," used his background as a reporter and love for English usage to punch up his op-ed column, which he wrote from 1973 to 2005, and books of history and fiction.

The author of the Times Magazine "On Language" column from 1979 until just a few weeks ago, Safire was a legendary wordsmith who coined the phrase "nattering nabobs of negativism." The bestselling novelist was also "a pugnacious contrarian," colleague Robert D. McFadden writes in his obit. "Along the way, he incurred enmity and admiration, and made a lot of powerful people squirm."

New York Times columnist William Safire gestures during a roundtable discussion on NBC's Meet the Press, February 27, 2005, in Washington, DC. Safire died today at 79 after battling cancer.
New York Times columnist William Safire gestures during a roundtable discussion on NBC's "Meet the Press," February 27, 2005, in Washington, DC. Safire died today at 79 after battling cancer.   (Getty Images)
William Safire of the New York Times speaks as New York Daily News Washington Bureau Chief Tom DeFrank listens during a taping of Meet the Press, October 28, 2007.
William Safire of the New York Times speaks as New York Daily News Washington Bureau Chief Tom DeFrank listens during a taping of "Meet the Press," October 28, 2007.   (Getty Images)
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William Safire discusses his book "In Lincoln's Hand" with a History Channel interviewer and reads an excerpt.   (bantamdell)

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 10 comments
WallyEFunk
Sep 28, 2009 12:50 PM CDT
But not some one you model yourself by.
riffran
Sep 28, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
forgot to add:::::: whilst diving deftly ,endeavoring to divest an intended malicious aggressor the ballistic encounter of his opportune occular objective, in Bosnia
riffran
Sep 28, 2009 9:24 AM CDT
he had cigar billy so riled that the oral officer threatened to punch him in the face..He called Hitlery a liar..hmmm I wonder if it was a rascist term then too???.

 
cancer • New York Times • obituary • Pulitzer Prize • Richard Nixon • journalism • death • grammar • political coverage • word usage • William Safire • New York Times Magazine • wordplay

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