View source for William Safire

{{Short description|American journalist and presidential speechwriter (1929–2009)}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=October 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
 | birth_name  = William Lewis Safir
 | image       = President Bush presents William Safire the 2006 President Medal of Freedom (cropped).jpg
 | caption     = Safire receiving the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2006
 | pseudonym   =
 | birth_date  = {{birth date|1929|12|17}}
 | birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
 | death_date  = {{death date and age|2009|09|27|1929|12|17}}
 | death_place = [[Rockville, Maryland]], U.S.
 | occupation  = {{hlist|Author|[[columnist]]|[[lexicographer]]|journalist|political speechwriter}}
 | period      =
 | genre       = Non-fiction
 | subject     = Politics
 | spouse      = Helene Belmar Julius
 | children    = 2
}}

'''William Lewis Safire''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|æ|f|aɪər}}; {{né}} '''Safir'''; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009<ref name="McFadden">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/us/28safire.html?_r=1&hp|title=William Safire, Nixon Speechwriter and Times Columnist, Is Dead at 79|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|date=September 27, 2009|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 27, 2009}}</ref><ref name="safire1986">Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. {{ISBN|978-0-8129-1323-1}}. p. 185.</ref>) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential [[speechwriter]]. He was a long-time [[print syndication|syndicated]] 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 and education==
Safire was born William Lewis Safir in [[New York City]], the son of Ida ({{née}} Panish) and Oliver Craus Safir.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.bookrags.com/biography/william-safire/ |title=William Safire Biography |publisher=BookRags.com |access-date=October 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/print/2008/08/01/no-bull-bill.php |title=No Bull Bill – People & Politics |publisher=Washingtonian |access-date=October 17, 2013}}</ref> His family was Jewish and of Romanian origin on his father's side.<ref name="note">{{cite book|last=Safire|first=William|title=On language|publisher=Avon Books|year=1981|page=236|isbn=0-380-56457-2}}</ref> Safire later added an "e" to his surname to better convey its pronunciation, while his brothers Leonard Safir and Matthew P. Safir continued to use the original spelling.<ref name="LeosObit">{{cite news |title=Leonard Safir, 71, Early TV Producer And an Anthologist |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1992/12/14/773892.html?pageNumber=26 |access-date=14 January 2022 |work=timesmachine.nytimes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Safire |first1=William |title=On Language; Stein or Steen? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/25/magazine/on-language-stine-or-steen.html |access-date=November 14, 2025 |work=New York Times |date=December 25, 1983 |page=6}}</ref>

Safire graduated from the [[Bronx High School of Science]], a [[Specialized high schools in New York City|specialized public high school]] in New York City. He attended [[S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications]] at [[Syracuse University]] but dropped out after two years. He delivered the commencement address at Syracuse in 1978 and 1990, and later became a trustee of the university.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schmuckler |first1=Carol |title=The Bond of a Lifetime |journal=Syracuse University Magazine |date=April 1, 1995 |volume=11 |issue=3 |page=40 |url=https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol11/iss3/8/ |access-date=February 23, 2021}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:In the event of moon disaster.jpg|thumb|William Safire memo to [[H. R. Haldeman]] to be used in the event that [[Apollo 11]] ended in disaster.]]

After dropping out of Syracuse, Safire worked for noted [[public relations]] specialist and journalist [[Tex McCrary]] throughout the 1950s, first as a gofer and later a public relations associate.<ref>[https://time.com/archive/6714132/william-safire-prolific-purveyor-of-punditry/ Shapiro, Walter. "William Safire: Prolific Purveyor Of Punditry," ''TIME'' (magazine), February 12, 1990.] Retrieved December 13, 2024.</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/opinion/24safire.html?_r=1 |title=Safire, William. "The Cold War's Hot Kitchen," ''The New York Times'', Friday, July 24, 2009 |website=The New York Times |date=July 24, 2009 |access-date=October 17, 2013}}</ref> Safire joined Nixon's campaign for the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 presidential race]], and again in [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]]. After Nixon's 1968 victory, Safire served as a speechwriter for him and for vice president [[Spiro Agnew]]; he is known for having penned Agnew's famous [[alliteration|alliterative]] term, "nattering nabobs of negativism".

===Etymology===
William Safire named the famous city of [[Lauderhill, Florida]] after convincing Herbert Sadkin. The development that eventually came to be known as Lauderhill was originally to be named "Sunnydale", but William Safire, a friend of the developer, Herbert Sadkin, convinced him to change his mind. Safire felt that "Sunnydale" sounded like a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Sadkin said there were no hills in the new town, to which Safire replied, "There are probably no [[Dale (landform)|dales]] in [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Lauderdale]], either!" From that discussion, the name "Lauderhill" was coined.[5] The development eventually grew to become Lauderhill, the city.[6]

=== The "Safire Memo" ===
{{wikisource|In Event of Moon Disaster}}
Safire drafted a never-delivered speech titled "In Event of Moon Disaster", for President Nixon to deliver on television in the event the [[Apollo 11]] astronauts were stranded on the Moon.<ref>
{{cite web | url = https://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/events/centennials/nixon/images/exhibit/rn100-6-1-2.pdf | title = Scanned copy of the 'In event of moon disaster' memo | publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]]}}</ref> According to the plans, [[Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center|Mission Control]] would "close down communications" with the [[Apollo Lunar Module|LEM]] and a clergyman would have commended their souls to "the deepest of the deep" in a public ritual likened to [[burial at sea]]. Presidential telephone calls to the astronauts' wives were also planned. The speech originated in a memo from Safire to Nixon's [[White House Chief of Staff|chief of staff]] [[H.&nbsp;R. Haldeman]], whence the name "Safire Memo", suggesting a protocol the administration might follow in reaction to such a disaster.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/42983812.html?dids=42983812:42983812&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+7%2C+1999&author=JIM+MANN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=5&desc=National+Perspective%3B+The+Story+of+a+Tragedy+That+Was+Not+to+Be |title=The Story of a Tragedy That Was Not to Be |author=Jim Mann |publisher=[[L.A. Times]] |date=July 7, 1999 |page=5 |access-date=October 27, 2007 |archive-date=October 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029175955/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/42983812.html?dids=42983812:42983812&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+7%2C+1999&author=JIM+MANN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=5&desc=National+Perspective%3B+The+Story+of+a+Tragedy+That+Was+Not+to+Be |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="safire">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/12/opinion/essay-disaster-never-came.html|title= Essay; Disaster Never Came|author=William Safire|website=The New York Times|date=July 12, 1999|access-date=October 27, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071029185356/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE2D7103CF931A25754C0A96F958260| archive-date= October 29, 2007 | url-status= live}}
</ref> The last line of the draft speech was an allusion to [[Rupert Brooke]]'s [[First World War]] poem "[[The Soldier (poem)|The Soldier]]".<ref name="safire"/> In a 2013 piece for ''[[Foreign Policy]]'' magazine, [[Joshua Keating]] included the speech as one of six entries in a list of "The Greatest Doomsday Speeches Never Made".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Greatest Doomsday Speeches Never Made|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/08/01/the-greatest-doomsday-speeches-never-made/|last=Keating|first=Joshua E.|author-link=Joshua Keating|work=[[Foreign Policy]]|date=August 1, 2013|access-date=December 8, 2016}}</ref>

=== ''New York Times'' columnist ===
Safire 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 [[Nixon wiretaps|"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".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F0061FFC3B59137A93CBA91783D85F478785F9 | work=The New York Times | title=The Suspicious 17; ESSAY | first=William | last=Safire | date=August 9, 1973}}</ref>

In 1978, Safire won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for [[Pulitzer Prize for Commentary|Commentary]] on [[Bert Lance]]'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 [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah]] Votes", was quoted in a campaign ad for [[Ronald Reagan]] in [[1980 United States presidential election|that year's presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1980/safire |title=Reagan campaign ad |publisher=Livingroomcandidate.org |date=November 4, 1979 |access-date=October 17, 2013}}</ref> Safire also frequently appeared on the [[NBC]]'s ''[[Meet the Press]]''. Upon announcing the retirement of Safire's political column in 2005, [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger|Arthur Sulzberger Jr.]], publisher of ''The New York Times'', said:

<blockquote>''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.</blockquote>

=== Pulitzer Board member ===
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]] 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".<ref>Gresko, Jessica (April 13, 2010) [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/13/william-safires-fbi-file-_n_536038.html "William Safire's FBI File Unlocked"], [[Associated Press]]</ref>

===Writing on English===
{{Expand section|date=June 2021}}

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.<ref name="McFadden"/>  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 [[Linguistic description|descriptive]] linguists.<ref>{{cite web | last = Zimmer | first = Benjamin | title = William Safire, 1929-2009 | work = Language Log | date = September 28, 2009 | url = http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1774 | access-date = September 30, 2009}}</ref>  Another book on language was ''The New Language of Politics'' (1968),<ref name=McFadden/> which developed into what Zimmer called Safire's "magnum opus," ''Safire's Political Dictionary''.<ref>{{cite web | last = Zimmer | first = Benjamin | title = Remembering the Language Maven | date = September 28, 2009 | work = Word Routes: Exploring the Pathways of our Lexicon | url = http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/2000/ | access-date = September 30, 2009}}</ref>

==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:

<blockquote>I'm willing to zap conservatives when they do things that are not libertarian. [After the [[September 11 attacks|9/11 attacks]],] I was the first to really go after [[George W. Bush|George W.]] on his treatment of prisoners.</blockquote>

After voting for [[Bill Clinton]] in [[1992 United States presidential election|1992]], Safire became one of the leading critics of the [[Clinton administration]]. [[Hillary Clinton]] 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". Although she did not respond to the specific instances cited, Hillary Clinton said that she did not feel offended for herself but for her mother's sake. According to Bill Clinton's press secretary at the time, [[Mike McCurry (press secretary)|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."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/04/magazine/on-language-congenital-liar-punch.html | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=On Language;Congenital, Liar, Punch | first=William | last=Safire | date=February 4, 1996}}</ref>

Safire was one of several voices who called for the [[Iraq War]], and predicted a "quick war" and wrote: "Iraqis, cheering their liberators, will lead the Arab world toward democracy."<ref>{{cite news|first=William|last=Safire|quote=Iraqis, cheering their liberators, will lead the Arab world toward democracy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/31/opinion/31SAFI.html?pagewanted=2|title=To Fight Freedom's Fight|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 21, 2002}}</ref> He consistently brought up the point in his ''Times'' columns that an Iraqi intelligence agent met with [[Mohamed Atta]], one of the [[9/11 hijackers]], in [[Prague]],<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/24/opinion/24SAFI.html?ex=1385096400&en=675f702fa2295ecc&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND "Missing Links Found"], ''The New York Times'', November 24, 2003</ref> 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]] 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 [of weapons of mass destruction] no inspectors could find".<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E4D81F38F933A25757C0A9659C8B63 "Jubilant V-I Day"], ''The New York Times'', April 10, 2003</ref>

Safire was staunchly pro-Israel. He received the [[Guardian of Zion Award]] of [[Bar-Ilan University]] in 2005. President [[George W. Bush]] appointed him to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to [[Jerusalem]] for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the [[State of Israel]] in May 2008.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lake|first=Eli|title=Bush Visit May Boost Olmert|url=http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bush-visit-may-boost-olmert/76303/|newspaper=New York Sun|date=May 13, 2008|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=October 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012171011/https://www.nysun.com/foreign/bush-visit-may-boost-olmert/76303/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Safire married Helene Belmar Julius in 1962. The couple had two children.<ref name="McFadden" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Siegel |first1=Harry |last2=Martin |first2=Jonathan |title=Word maven William Safire dies |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/09/word-maven-william-safire-dies-027628 |work=Politico |date=27 September 2009}}</ref> Safire died from [[pancreatic cancer]] at a hospice in [[Rockville, Maryland]], on September 27, 2009, aged 79.<ref name="McFadden" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Folkenflik |first=David |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113255309 |title=Political Columnist William Safire Dies At 79 |publisher=NPR |access-date=October 17, 2013}}</ref>

== 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) {{ISBN|0-7432-4244-0}}
* ''No Uncertain Terms: More Writing from the Popular "On Language" Column in The New York Times Magazine'' (2003) {{ISBN|0-7432-4243-2}}
* ''Take My Word for It'' (1986) {{ISBN|0-8129-1323-X}}
* ''On Language'' (1980) Times Books {{ISBN|0-8129-0937-2}}
* ''Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage'' (1990) {{ISBN|0-440-21010-0}}

'''Novels'''
* ''Scandalmonger'' (2000) {{ISBN|0-684-86719-2}}
* ''Sleeper Spy'' (1995) {{ISBN|0-679-43447-X}}
* [[Freedom (Safire novel)|''Freedom: A Novel of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War'']] (1987) {{ISBN|0-385-15903-X}}
* ''Full Disclosure'' (1978) {{ISBN|0-385-12115-6}}

'''Edited collections'''
* ''Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History'' (1997) {{ISBN|0-393-04005-4}}
* ''Words of Wisdom: More Good Advice'' (1989) {{ISBN|0-671-67535-4}}
* ''Good Advice'' (1982) quotations compiled with his brother, Leonard Safir {{ISBN|0-517-08473-2}}

'''Political works'''
* ''Safire's Political Dictionary'', 3rd edition, Random House, NY, 1968, 1972, 1978. {{ISBN|0-394-50261-2}}
* ''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 ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== 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. {{ISBN|0-934540-90-X}}.

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/SAFIRE-BIO.html Columnist Biography, William Safire], from ''The New York Times''
* [https://www.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/williamsafire/ Archive of political columns] from ''The New York Times''
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4459615 William Safire Retires ''Times'' Op-Ed Column], a January 2005 story from [[NPR]]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52678-2004Nov15.html William Safire to End Op-Ed Run at ''N.Y. Times''], a November 2004 article from ''[[The Washington Post]]''
* [https://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/s/safire_w.htm William Safire Papers at Syracuse University], a guide to his personal papers.
* [http://clinton6.nara.gov/1996/01/1996-01-09-statement-by-the-president.html Clinton's reaction after Safire calls his wife a liar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514133136/http://clinton6.nara.gov/1996/01/1996-01-09-statement-by-the-president.html |date=May 14, 2011 }}, from the [[National Archives and Records Administration]]
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=William_Safire Profile: William Safire], [[SourceWatch]]
* [http://vault.fbi.gov/William%20Safire FBI files on William Safire]
* {{C-SPAN|19464}}
* {{Find a Grave|42437961}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=openmind_ep1221|name=Safire on Safire, Part I|description=(1987)}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=openmind_ep1222|name=Safire on Safire, Part II|description=(1987)}}

{{PulitzerPrize Commentary 1976–2000}}
{{Authority control}}

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