William Safire Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: William Safire
OCCUPATION: Journalist, Author
BIRTH DATE: December 17, 1929
DEATH DATE: September 27, 2009
PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York

Best Known For

William Safire was a writer whose column "On Language" was a long-running feature of the New York Times Magazine.

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William Safire

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William Safire. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 01:49, Feb 10, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180

Harvard Style

William Safire [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180, February 10

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" William Safire." 2012. Biography.com 10 Feb 2012, 01:49 http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180

MHRA Style

' William Safire', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180 [accessed Feb 10, 2012]

Chicago Style

" William Safire," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180 (accessed Feb 10, 2012).

CBE/CSE Style

William Safire [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 Feb 10]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180.

Bluebook Style

William Safire, http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180 (last visited Feb 10, 2012).

AMA Style

William Safire, http://www.biography.com/people/william-safire-9469180 (last visited Feb 10, 2012).

Synopsis

A former speechwriter and public relations writer, and special assistant to President Nixon, William Safire joined the New York Times as a Washington-based columnist in 1973 and won a 1978 Pulitzer Prize for his commentary. He also wrote the long-running column “On Language” for the New York Times Magazine. Safire wrote numerous books on writing and language and four novels.

Profile

Journalist, author. Born on December 17, 1929, in New York City, New York. William Safire is perhaps best known for his famous New York Times Magazine column "On Language."

A former speechwriter and public relations writer, and special assistant to President Richard Nixon, Safire joined The New York Times as a Washington-based columnist in 1973. He won a 1978 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

Safire has written numerous books on writing and language, including How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar (2005). Delving into fiction, he wrote four novels: Full Disclosure (1977), Freedom (1987), Sleeper Spy (1995), and Scandalmonger (2000).

Safire died on September 27, 2009, after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. He lived near Washington, D.C. with his wife. He is survived by his wife Helene; their children Mark and Annabel; and a granddaughter.