Thomas Grey Wicker (June 18, 1926 – November 25, 2011) was an American
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
. He was best known as a political reporter and columnist for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' for nearly three decades.
Besides writing non-fiction books about
U.S. presidential history and race relations, he also wrote ten novels, including mysteries and political thrillers.
Background and education
Thomas Grey Wicker was born on June 18, 1926, in
Hamlet, North Carolina, to Delancey David, a railroad freight conductor, and Esta Cameron Wicker. He served in the
Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He was a 1948 graduate of the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...
. In 1957, Wicker won a
Nieman Fellowship at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. In 1993, he returned to Harvard, where he was a fellow at
Harvard Kennedy School
The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
.
Career
''The New York Times''
Wicker began his journalism career in 1949, first serving as editor of the small-town ''Sandhill Citizen'' in
Aberdeen, North Carolina. He eventually worked for other newspapers, including ''The Winston-Salem Journal'' and ''The Nashville Tennessean''. By the early 1960s, he had joined ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. On the day of
President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, Wicker was a relatively unknown
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
correspondent in
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
.
But he quickly vaulted to national prominence when he wrote ''The New York Times'' lead story the following morning, after having ridden in a press bus in the motorcade that accompanied Kennedy. In September 1964, Wicker was named Washington bureau chief for the ''Times'' upon the recommendation of his boss and mentor
James Reston.
Wicker was a shrewd observer of the
Washington, D.C. scene. In that capacity, his influential "In the Nation" column ran in the ''Times'' from 1966 through his retirement at the end of 1991. In a final Q & A interview with fellow ''Times'' reporter
R. W. Apple, Wicker reflected on lessons he had learned during his years covering Washington. He was asked whether he had any "heroes" in political life:
::I think it tends to work the other way. Which doesn't mean that I look at all those people with contempt—quite the opposite. But the journalist's perspective makes you see the feet of clay and the warts, and that's a good thing. I found them in many cases to be truly engaging human beings and admirable persons but not really, in the long run, impeccable heroes, or even just heroes without the "impeccable." We should try to see people as clearly as we can. Then if a hero does come into view, why, we can give him his due.
Books
Wicker wrote numerous books throughout his life. He is the author of several about U.S. presidents including:
* ''Kennedy Without Tears: The Man Beneath the Myth'' (1964)
* ''JFK & LBJ: The Influence of Personality Upon Politics'' (1966)
* ''One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream'' (1991)
* ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' (2002)
* ''George Herbert Walker Bush'' (2004)
Other works Wicker penned include:
* ''The Kingpin'' (1953), a novel about politics
* ''The Devil Must'' (1957), a novel
* ''The Judgment'' (1961), a novel
* ''Facing the Lions'' (1973), a novel about a presidential campaign involving a candidate modeled on Sen.
Estes Kefauver
* ''A Time to Die: The Attica Prison Revolt'' (1975), this book recounted the
events in September 1971 at the
Attica Correctional Facility in
Attica, New York; it won an
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...
from the
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the E ...
for Best Fact Crime book and inspired a ''
1980 made-for-TV movie''.
* ''On Press: A Top Reporter's Life in, and Reflections on, American Journalism'' (1978)
* ''Unto This Hour'' (1984), a novel of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, during the
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...
(1862)
* ''Donovan's Wife'' (1992), a novel about the sleazy side of politics
* ''Prison Writing in 20th-Century America'' (1992)
* ''Tragic Failure: Racial Integration in America'' (1996)
* ''Easter Lilly: A Novel of the South Today'' (1998), a novel about a murder in the South
* ''On the Record: An Insider’s Guide to Journalism'' (2001)
* ''Shooting Star: The Brief Arc of Joe McCarthy'' (2006)
In addition, Wicker wrote three detective novels in the 1950s under the pseudonym "Paul Connolly":
* ''Get Out of Town'' (1951)
* ''Tears Are for Angels'' (1952)
[Simon, Tom]
"Tears Are for Angels".
''Paperback Warrior'', January 21, 2019.
* ''So Fair, So Evil'' (1955)
Politics
Wicker's journalism for ''The New York Times'' earned him a place on the
master list of Nixon's political opponents. Wicker later wrote an essay on
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
for the book ''Character Above All: Ten Presidents from FDR to George Bush'' (1996).
Wicker was mentioned in a ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...
'' report from the 1970s which detailed how he, along with other journalists and members of Congress who publicly supported
desegregation busing, had nevertheless sent their children to Washington, D.C. private schools.
NSA monitoring of Wicker's communications
In a secret operation code-named "
Project MINARET", the
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...
(NSA) monitored the communications of leading Americans, including Wicker and other prominent U.S. journalists, Senators
Frank Church and
Howard Baker, civil rights leaders like
Martin Luther King Jr., and famous American athletes like
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
who criticized the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
A subsequent review by NSA of its Minaret program concluded that the program was "disreputable if not outright illegal."
Death
Wicker died from an apparent heart attack, on November 25, 2011, at the age of 85.
References
External links
Ubben Lecture at DePauw University; March 12, 1993via PBS.
*
Tom Wicker papers Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wicker, Tom
1926 births
2011 deaths
American male journalists
American historical novelists
Edgar Award winners
The New York Times journalists
Nieman Fellows
Novelists from North Carolina
People from Hamlet, North Carolina
People from Rochester, Vermont
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male novelists
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from New York (state)
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American male writers