Jack Germond

John Worthen Germond (January 30, 1928 – August 14, 2013), known as Jack Germond, was an American journalist, author, and pundit. His journalistic career spanned over 50 years; Germond wrote for the Washington Star and The Baltimore Sun. Together with Jules Witcover, Germond co-wrote "Politics Today", a five-day-a-week syndicated column, for almost a quarter-century.

Jack Germond
Jules Witcover, Ronald Reagan and Germond in Oval Office in 1981
Born
John Worthen Germond

(1928-01-30)January 30, 1928
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedAugust 14, 2013(2013-08-14) (aged 85)
Charles Town, West Virginia
NationalityUSA
OccupationJournalist and author
Known forPanelist on The McLaughlin Group

Early years

Germond was born in Boston, Massachusetts,[1] an only child, and raised in a middle-class household in Boston and Trenton, New Jersey. When he was 13, his family moved to Mississippi, and then to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Germond finished high school. After attending Louisiana State University for one semester, he served in the U.S. Army including a stint in Iceland, returning to college on the GI bill. He graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in journalism and history.[2]

Career

He began his career working for Gannett's Rochester Times-Union in 1961. He moved to the Washington Star in 1974, became a syndicated columnist and national editor, and went on to The Baltimore Sun when the Star folded. He began to appear on Meet the Press in 1972, the Today Show in 1980, and the NBC and PBS program The McLaughlin Group from its inception in 1981.[2]

A fixture on The McLaughlin Group for 15 years before abruptly resigning,[3] he later appeared on CNN, and appeared for a time on the PBS program Inside Washington. In 2011 he wrote several pieces on the 2012 Presidential election for The Daily Beast, an online-only publication.[4]

Personal life

Germond and his first wife, Barbara Wipple were married shortly after he graduated in 1951. They had two daughters, Mandy and Jessica.[5]

In 1984, Germond met Democratic party operative and political activist Alice Travis. Germond and Barbara subsequently divorced, and Germond married Travis in 1988. She had two children from a prior marriage, musician Abby Travis and film maker Dave Travis, and is the Secretary Emeritus of the Democratic National Committee.[6]

Germond died at his home on August 14, 2013, aged 85.[7][5]

Bibliography

With Witcover
  • Blue Smoke & Mirrors: How Reagan Won and Why Carter Lost the Election of 1980, Viking Press (1981)
  • Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1985). Wake Us When It's Over: Presidential Politics of 1984. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-02-630710-9. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  • Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988, Warner Books (1989)
  • Mad As Hell: Revolt at the Ballot Box 1992, Warner Books (1992)

Solo

References
Specific citations
  1. Gardner, Gerald; Bellows, Jim (2007). 80: From Ben Bradlee to Lena Horne to Carl Reiner, Our Most Famous Eighty Year Olds Reveal Why They Never Felt So Young. Sourcebooks, Inc. pp. Jack Germond. ISBN 9781402248238.
  2. Martin, Douglas (August 4, 2013). "Jack Germond, Political Reporter of the Old School, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  3. "U.S. political writer Jack Germond dies at age 85". Reuters. August 14, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  4. "Jack W. Germond - The Daily Beast". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  5. Bernstein, Adam (August 14, 2013). "Jack Germond, syndicated columnist and TV commentator, dies at 85". The Washington Post.
  6. Jack W. Germond profile at Random House website
  7. "Legendary political reporter Jack Germond dies at age 85". USA Today. August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
General references
  • Biography from the Biographical Dictionary of American Newspaper Columnists
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