James Wieghart
Encyclopedia
James Gerard Wieghart was an American editor and newpapman and a minor figure in the Iran Contra affair.
. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving mostly in Alaska
, from 1951 to 1954. He attended Central Michigan University
before graduating from the University of Wisconsin. He worked at the Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel, which appointed him as Washington bureau chief in 1966. Around the same time, in 1965 was press secretary for William Proxmire
, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin.
In 1969, Wieghart joined the New York Daily News
, for which he would cover the Nixon
, Ford
and Carter
administrations. He reported on the U.S. Department of Defense during the waning years of the Vietnam War
(writing from Vietnam for several weeks in 1971) and covered the White House
during the Watergate scandal
. In 1975 he became the paper's Washington bureau chief and wrote a thrice-weekly opinion column on which he argued from the left on a wide range of issues, from health care to the Middle East, and parsed presidential politics. Wieghart then was editor from 1982 to 1984, leaving after the newspaper changed publishers, to take a job as a columnist and national political correspondent for Scripps Howard Newspapers. During the 1984 presidential campaign, he questioned both Walter F. Mondale and Ronald Reagan
in the lead-up to the election.
In 1986 he left journalism to serve as staff director for Edward M. Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
. The next year he was hired by Judge Lawrence E. Walsh, the independent counsel who was investigating the involvement of Reagan administration officials in two illegal enterprises: the sale of arms to Iran in contravention of United States policy and the diversion of profits from the sale to the Contras
, the forces fighting Nicaragua
's leftist government, in spite of a congressional prohibition on providing any aid to the rebels. For two years he was the public information officer for the investigation, which lasted six years, and he helped write and edit the final report in 1993. He returned to Central Michigan University
as chairman of the journalism department from 1989 to 1993. Then he joined the Dilenschneider Group, a New York-based public relations firm, where he worked as a consultant until 2009.
and married in 1955, he was survived by two sisters, Patricia Graham and Mary Lois Armstrong, both of Niles; four daughters, Michelle Wieghart of Beldenville, Wisconsin
; Elizabeth Queen of Lake, Michigan
; Bridget Wieghart of Portland, Oregon
; and Rebecca Eaton of Silver Spring, Maryland
; and six grandchildren.
, in central Michigan. He was 76 and lived in nearby Lake City, Michigan
. According to his wife, the cause of death was complications of pneumonia
.
Career
Wiegart grew up mostly in Niles, MichiganNiles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving mostly in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, from 1951 to 1954. He attended Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
before graduating from the University of Wisconsin. He worked at the Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel, which appointed him as Washington bureau chief in 1966. Around the same time, in 1965 was press secretary for William Proxmire
William Proxmire
Edward William Proxmire was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 to 1989.-Personal life:...
, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin.
In 1969, Wieghart joined the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, for which he would cover the Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
and Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
administrations. He reported on the U.S. Department of Defense during the waning years of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(writing from Vietnam for several weeks in 1971) and covered the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
during the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
. In 1975 he became the paper's Washington bureau chief and wrote a thrice-weekly opinion column on which he argued from the left on a wide range of issues, from health care to the Middle East, and parsed presidential politics. Wieghart then was editor from 1982 to 1984, leaving after the newspaper changed publishers, to take a job as a columnist and national political correspondent for Scripps Howard Newspapers. During the 1984 presidential campaign, he questioned both Walter F. Mondale and Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in the lead-up to the election.
In 1986 he left journalism to serve as staff director for Edward M. Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The next year he was hired by Judge Lawrence E. Walsh, the independent counsel who was investigating the involvement of Reagan administration officials in two illegal enterprises: the sale of arms to Iran in contravention of United States policy and the diversion of profits from the sale to the Contras
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
, the forces fighting Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
's leftist government, in spite of a congressional prohibition on providing any aid to the rebels. For two years he was the public information officer for the investigation, which lasted six years, and he helped write and edit the final report in 1993. He returned to Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
as chairman of the journalism department from 1989 to 1993. Then he joined the Dilenschneider Group, a New York-based public relations firm, where he worked as a consultant until 2009.
Personal life
In addition to his wife, Sharon, whom he met at Central MichiganCentral Michigan
Central Michigan, often called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan can be considered as a subregion of Central Michigan. As its name implies, it is the central area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and...
and married in 1955, he was survived by two sisters, Patricia Graham and Mary Lois Armstrong, both of Niles; four daughters, Michelle Wieghart of Beldenville, Wisconsin
Beldenville, Wisconsin
Beldenville is an unincorporated community located in Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States. Beldenville is located on Wisconsin Highway 65 north of Ellsworth. Beldenville has a post office with ZIP code 54003....
; Elizabeth Queen of Lake, Michigan
Lake, Michigan
Lake, Michigan may refer to any of a several places in the U.S. state of Michigan:*Lake, Clare County, Michigan, an unincorporated community in Garfield Township*Lake Township, Michigan , eight places*Lake County, Michigan...
; Bridget Wieghart of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
; and Rebecca Eaton of Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
; and six grandchildren.
Death
Wieghart died in ClareClare, Michigan
Clare is a city in Clare and Isabella counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located primarily in Clare County, the city had a population of 3,173 at the 2000 census....
, in central Michigan. He was 76 and lived in nearby Lake City, Michigan
Lake City, Michigan
Lake City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 836. Known as the "Christmas Tree Capital", it is the county seat of Missaukee County.-Geography:...
. According to his wife, the cause of death was complications of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.