George Edward Reedy (August 5, 1917 – March 21, 1999) was the tenth
White House Press Secretary, and served under President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
from 1964 to 1965.
Life and career
Born in
East Chicago,
Indiana, Reedy attended
Senn High School
Senn High School is a public four-year high school located in the Edgewater neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Senn is operated by the Chicago Public Schools system and was opened on 3 February 1913. The scho ...
in Chicago and graduated from the
University of Chicago in 1938. Reedy was a reporter for
United Press
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
in Washington, D.C. before joining Johnson's Senate staff in 1951. He worked as an aide to Johnson during his presidential campaign in 1960, his term as vice-president, and his early months as President. When
Pierre Salinger
Pierre Emil George Salinger (June 14, 1925 – October 16, 2004) was an American journalist, author and politician. He served as the ninth press secretary for United States Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Salinger served ...
resigned as press secretary in March 1964, Reedy was named to the position.
During the escalation of the American involvement in
Vietnam beginning in March 1965, press questions over the veracity of the Johnson Administration's public assessments of the war led to charges of a so-called
credibility gap
Credibility gap is a term that came into wide use with journalism, political and public discourse in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. At the time, it was most frequently used to describe public skepticism about the Lyndon B. Johnson a ...
. In 1965 Reedy took a leave of absence over his disagreement with Johnson's Vietnam policies. In 1968 he returned to the White House to work as a special assistant shortly before Johnson's surprise announcement that he would not seek reelection. After Johnson left office, Reedy started a supplementary newspaper serving South America and published ''The Twilight of the Presidency'' in 1970. The book was a critical and influential look at the modern American presidency and, in particular, at the impact that war has had on the office. While the book was not specifically critical of Johnson, the former president was reportedly unhappy with its frank assessment of the presidency and refused to speak with Reedy ever again. Early in his post-
Watergate
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...
presidency,
Gerald Ford asked his White House staff to read it.
[John Dean's essay on ''The Twilight of the Presidency'']
In 1972 Reedy accepted an appointment as professor and dean of the journalism school at
Marquette University. Reedy resigned as dean in 1976, but continued as Lucius W. Nieman Professor of Journalism (1977–1990) and Professor Emeritus (1991–1996).
Reedy was married to fellow journalist Lillian Greenwald from 1948 until her death in 1984. He was married to Ruth Wissman from 1988 until his death in Milwaukee in 1999.
Works
* ''The Twilight of the Presidency: An Examination of Power and Isolation in the White House'' (1970, rev. 1987)
* ''The Presidency in Flux'' (1973)
* ''Lyndon B. Johnson: A Memoir'' (1982)
* ''The U.S. Senate: Paralysis, or a Search for Consensus?'' (1986)
* ''From the Ward to the White House: The Irish in American Politics'' (1991)
References
External links
John Dean's essay on ''The Twilight of the Presidency''Oral History Interviews with George Reedy, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reedy, George
1917 births
1999 deaths
People from East Chicago, Indiana
University of Chicago alumni
White House Press Secretaries