Robert E Thompson
Encyclopedia
Robert Elliott Thompson (June 28, 1921-November 19, 2003) was a top political writer and Washington journalist known for his sharp analysis and crisp writing of political affairs. Over the course of a long career he rose through the ranks to become, among other things, a White House correspondent, publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
, and national editor and Washington D.C. bureau chief for Hearst Newspapers.
and lived there for the first years of his life. Fresh out of high school, he joined the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor
and was stationed in the South Pacific until the end of the war as a radioman on a PBY Catalina
. After the war he attended Indiana University
where he studied journalism and received the Ernie Pyle award, became the editor for the Daily Student, the school's newspaper, and served on the student governing board. After graduation in 1949 with a B.A. in journalism, Thompson joined the staff of the Journal Gazette
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
, his first job as a reporter. Many years later he returned to his Alma Mater as the Ernie Pyle lecturer on journalism.
(INS), a wire service owned by Hearst Corporation, to cover the Department of Agriculture. When he arrived one day to interview Secretary Ezra Taft Benson
, he was entranced by the Secretary's administrative assistant Mary C. Mattern, whom he married in 1954, only three months after they met. Secretary Benson even attended their wedding.
In 1956 he started covering politics and his first beat was the campaign of Democratic presidential Candidate Adlai Stevenson followed by Republican vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon
.
(UPI). In the transition many people lost their jobs, including Thompson. Never one to accept defeat, he attended a party at Robert F. Kennedy
's house despite being newly unemployed. While in conversation with then-Senator John F. Kennedy
the future President asked him what he was going to do and Thompson remarked he would worry about it on Monday. Kennedy said to come see him on Monday and when Thompson did, Kennedy made him press secretary for his final re-election campaign as Senator before seeking the Presidency. It was a move Thompson was extremely grateful for, but he was always more comfortable as a political observer than a political participant and in 1959 he joined the Washington Bureau of the New York Daily News
. Then in 1962 he joined the Los Angeles Times
where he was assigned to cover the White House. That same year he co-wrote with Hortense Myers, the very first biography ever written about the budding Attorney General entitled Robert F. Kennedy: The Brother Within.
Thompson had decided not to travel to Dallas with President Kennedy and the White House press corps
in November 1963 in order to spend some time with his family. But when he heard the news of the assassination of John F. Kennedy
he hastened there and met Miami Herald reporter and fellow Indiana University alumnus Gene Miller
. Miller and Thompson attended IU together and were fast friends. Though Miller was a year behind, when he graduated he joined Thompson at the Journal Gazette before moving on to the Herald. When they got to the court house in Dallas, Miller, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, said his intuition told him someone might try to kill the suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
and waited outside thinking that would be the most likely place, while Thompson decided to go to the basement where the prisoner would be brought through. As Miller had predicted, though wrongly about where, Jack Ruby
stepped out in front of the reporters gathered around Oswald and fatally shot him. Thompson was witness to the whole thing standing several feet away while Miller was still waiting outside. Years later Miller remarked about the incident, "So much for Pulitzer intuitions."
In 1966 Thompson was promoted to Washington bureau chief for Hearst newspapers. His first meeting with the chains editor-in-chief, William Randolph Hearst Jr., was rather comedic. At a luncheon set up to introduce him to his new boss, Thompson openly disagreed with an editorial position Hearst had taken. A colleague of his began kicking him under the table signaling him to be quiet. Undeterred, Thompson lifted the tablecloth, looked under the table and asked the man why he was being kicked. Far from annoyed, Hearst seemed to be won over by Thomspson's honesty. That same year he also had the prestigious honor of being appointed as president of the White House Correspondents Association. He served as bureau chief through the end of the Johnson administration, during the height of the Vietnam War
as the Capital convulsed in turmoil from protests and anger. In fact Thompson, who had logged thousands of hours flying aboard Air Force One
with both Kennedy and Johnson, accompanied the latter on an unannounced visit to see the troops in Vietnam in 1967.
Bob Thompson's columns were noted for their ability to call up the past. In many instances he would find similarities between current issues and past events, and explore the cause and effect relationship between them. The political commentator Chris Matthews
, who worked with Thompson when he (Matthews) was the bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner, used Thompson's recollections in his book about Kennedy and Nixon. In an interview with C-Span
founder and host Brian Lamb
, Matthews spoke of Thompson's experience as Kennedy's press secretary,
That kind of analysis is what made Thompson indispensable as a Washington insider, and contributed to his enduring legacy as a writer in his later years. Thompson himself was interviewed by Lamb on several occasions for C-Spans morning shows when the network was still in its infancy.
One day following a seating chart, President Ronald Reagan
called upon Thompson at a White House press conference. Unbeknownst to him, Thompson was sitting with his wife at home in his robe and slippers, a glass of wine in his hand watching the televised conference from the comfort of his favorite chair. Without missing a beat when he heard his name, Thompson dutifully stood and raised his glass toward Reagan's TV image in salute. Along with the White House Correspondents Association, Thompson was also a member of the Gridiron Club
, Washington's oldest journalistic organization most known for its annual dinner, the Cosmos Club
, another Washington social establishment, and the National Press Club
.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
, and national editor and Washington D.C. bureau chief for Hearst Newspapers.
Early life
Thompson was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and lived there for the first years of his life. Fresh out of high school, he joined the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
and was stationed in the South Pacific until the end of the war as a radioman on a PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
. After the war he attended Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
where he studied journalism and received the Ernie Pyle award, became the editor for the Daily Student, the school's newspaper, and served on the student governing board. After graduation in 1949 with a B.A. in journalism, Thompson joined the staff of the Journal Gazette
Journal Gazette
The Journal Gazette is the morning newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It publishes seven days a week, and with several outlying bureaus, contends for circulation and advertising in a 15-county area. The Journal Gazette is independent, but it was aligned with the Democratic party until 1973.One of...
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, his first job as a reporter. Many years later he returned to his Alma Mater as the Ernie Pyle lecturer on journalism.
Journalistic career
In 1951, after working as a reporter for only two years, Thompson fulfilled his big ambition of covering Washington politics when he was hired on as a reporter for the International News ServiceInternational News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
(INS), a wire service owned by Hearst Corporation, to cover the Department of Agriculture. When he arrived one day to interview Secretary Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
, he was entranced by the Secretary's administrative assistant Mary C. Mattern, whom he married in 1954, only three months after they met. Secretary Benson even attended their wedding.
In 1956 he started covering politics and his first beat was the campaign of Democratic presidential Candidate Adlai Stevenson followed by Republican vice presidential candidate Richard 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...
.
Kennedy and Johnson administrations
In 1958 INS merged with United Press to become United Press InternationalUnited Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
(UPI). In the transition many people lost their jobs, including Thompson. Never one to accept defeat, he attended a party at Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
's house despite being newly unemployed. While in conversation with then-Senator John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
the future President asked him what he was going to do and Thompson remarked he would worry about it on Monday. Kennedy said to come see him on Monday and when Thompson did, Kennedy made him press secretary for his final re-election campaign as Senator before seeking the Presidency. It was a move Thompson was extremely grateful for, but he was always more comfortable as a political observer than a political participant and in 1959 he joined the Washington Bureau of 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....
. Then in 1962 he joined the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
where he was assigned to cover the White House. That same year he co-wrote with Hortense Myers, the very first biography ever written about the budding Attorney General entitled Robert F. Kennedy: The Brother Within.
Thompson had decided not to travel to Dallas with President Kennedy and the White House press corps
White House Press Corps
The White House Press Corps is the group of journalists or correspondents usually stationed at the White House in Washington, D.C. to cover the president of the United States, White House events and news briefings. Their offices are located in the West Wing....
in November 1963 in order to spend some time with his family. But when he heard the news of the assassination of John F. Kennedy
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
he hastened there and met Miami Herald reporter and fellow Indiana University alumnus Gene Miller
Gene Miller
Gene Miller was a longtime investigative reporter at The Miami Herald who won two Pulitzer Prizes for reporting that helped save innocent men on Florida's Death Row from execution. He was also a legendary editor, mentoring generations of young reporters in how to write crisp, direct, and...
. Miller and Thompson attended IU together and were fast friends. Though Miller was a year behind, when he graduated he joined Thompson at the Journal Gazette before moving on to the Herald. When they got to the court house in Dallas, Miller, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, said his intuition told him someone might try to kill the suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
and waited outside thinking that would be the most likely place, while Thompson decided to go to the basement where the prisoner would be brought through. As Miller had predicted, though wrongly about where, Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby
Jacob Leon Rubenstein , who legally changed his name to Jack Leon Ruby in 1947, was convicted of the November 24, 1963 murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Ruby, who was originally from Chicago, Illinois, was then a nightclub operator in Dallas, Texas...
stepped out in front of the reporters gathered around Oswald and fatally shot him. Thompson was witness to the whole thing standing several feet away while Miller was still waiting outside. Years later Miller remarked about the incident, "So much for Pulitzer intuitions."
In 1966 Thompson was promoted to Washington bureau chief for Hearst newspapers. His first meeting with the chains editor-in-chief, William Randolph Hearst Jr., was rather comedic. At a luncheon set up to introduce him to his new boss, Thompson openly disagreed with an editorial position Hearst had taken. A colleague of his began kicking him under the table signaling him to be quiet. Undeterred, Thompson lifted the tablecloth, looked under the table and asked the man why he was being kicked. Far from annoyed, Hearst seemed to be won over by Thomspson's honesty. That same year he also had the prestigious honor of being appointed as president of the White House Correspondents Association. He served as bureau chief through the end of the Johnson administration, during the height 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...
as the Capital convulsed in turmoil from protests and anger. In fact Thompson, who had logged thousands of hours flying aboard Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
with both Kennedy and Johnson, accompanied the latter on an unannounced visit to see the troops in Vietnam in 1967.
Publisher, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Following his term as bureau chief, Thompson moved his family to a different Washington and took up the post as publisher of the (now defunct) Seattle Post-Intelligencer from 1974-1978. He also served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prize from 1975-76. Many times during his stint as publisher he would fly back to DC to partake in press conferences and Washington's political social events. While he enjoyed running his own paper, after only four short years in Seattle he missed being in the heart of the political landscape and writing about politics. In 1978 he moved the family back to Washington, D.C. and reclaimed his former position as bureau chief for hearst, which he held until 1989.Syndicated column, impact, and legacy
When he retired, he continued to write a weekly column for Hearst. Using his vast experience to write crisp, clean articles that dissected politics with a sweeping historical narrative Thompson subtly reflected on his long career while simultaneously analyzing current political events, sometimes in the same sentence. With a keen eye for history he endeavored to prove to his readers that the past is in fact prologue. He continued his column until a month before his death in 2003. "Throughout his long career, Thompson worried about the balance between tough "gotcha" reporting on the candidates' character and records, and a broader portrait of a candidate that would look at their performance with a less adversarial tone.". Reflecting on his chosen profession and career, Thompson wrote in 1980,Bob Thompson's columns were noted for their ability to call up the past. In many instances he would find similarities between current issues and past events, and explore the cause and effect relationship between them. The political commentator Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
, who worked with Thompson when he (Matthews) was the bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner, used Thompson's recollections in his book about Kennedy and Nixon. In an interview with C-Span
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
founder and host Brian Lamb
Brian Lamb
Brian Patrick Lamb is the founder and chief executive officer of C-SPAN, a television network dedicated to coverage of government proceedings and public affairs. Born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, Lamb earned a degree from Purdue University before joining the United States Navy...
, Matthews spoke of Thompson's experience as Kennedy's press secretary,
That kind of analysis is what made Thompson indispensable as a Washington insider, and contributed to his enduring legacy as a writer in his later years. Thompson himself was interviewed by Lamb on several occasions for C-Spans morning shows when the network was still in its infancy.
One day following a seating chart, President 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....
called upon Thompson at a White House press conference. Unbeknownst to him, Thompson was sitting with his wife at home in his robe and slippers, a glass of wine in his hand watching the televised conference from the comfort of his favorite chair. Without missing a beat when he heard his name, Thompson dutifully stood and raised his glass toward Reagan's TV image in salute. Along with the White House Correspondents Association, Thompson was also a member of the Gridiron Club
Gridiron Club
The Gridiron Club and Foundation, founded in 1885, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious journalistic organizations in Washington, D.C. Its 65 active members represent major newspapers, news services, news magazines and broadcast networks. Membership is by invitation only and has...
, Washington's oldest journalistic organization most known for its annual dinner, the Cosmos Club
Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...
, another Washington social establishment, and the National Press Club
National Press Club
The National Press Club is a professional organization and private social club for journalists. It is located in Washington, D.C. Its membership consists of journalists, former journalists, government information officers, and those considered to be regular news sources. It is well-known for its...
.
External links
- Obituary-Robert E. Thompson, journalist. San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
- Former Times Writer. Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- Robert Thompson 1921-2003 Former PI Publisher, Top Political WriterSeattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-IntelligencerThe Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
- A Most Difficult Decision: Sending Americans To FightOrlando SentinelOrlando SentinelThe Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
- Dumb end for a smart manThe Baltimore SunThe Baltimore SunThe Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
- Helen Thomas joins Bob Thompson, Marianne Means as Hearst columnistHearst CorporationHearst CorporationThe Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
- Robert F. Kennedy: The Brother Within/ on Amazon
- C-SPAN political discussion - July 19, 1983 Lamb, Brian_Thompson, Robert
- The Ink Slinger - A blog documenting the life and times of Bob Thompson