Buzz
Being the press secretary for the president of the United States is a demanding role, frequently mired in disputes and constant public scrutiny. Every day, they confront journalists eager for breaking news or scandals, often holding sensitive information that the media seeks—while the White House may or may not permit its release.
Some left a lasting impact on their administration and those that followed, while others struggled with the decisions of their presidents. A few even met their demise while in office. Each of their tenures was marked by unique challenges and intriguing events. This exploration delves into the lives of ten former press secretaries, uncovering their influence on administrations and hidden historical details often overlooked.
10. Salinger, Jackie, And The Arts
During the peak of the Cold War, Pierre Salinger served as the White House press secretary under President John F. Kennedy. With Kennedy’s endorsement, Salinger pioneered live televised news conferences, skillfully handling the emerging medium with a blend of charm, energy, and a notable lack of attention to minutiae.
Salinger’s impact on the Kennedy administration extended well beyond managing the White House press. A prodigy from a young age, Salinger taught himself to play the piano before he could read, fostering a lifelong passion for music. This passion, combined with Jackie Kennedy’s vision, helped bridge politics and the arts. As Richard Reeves, author of President Kennedy: Profile of Power, noted, “If Jackie Kennedy believed America was ready for elevated culture, Pierre was her partner and enabler in this mission.”
Salinger once remarked, “It was crucial to show that the White House could champion public appreciation for the arts.” With Jackie’s unwavering support, artists who had been marginalized during the McCarthy era began to reclaim their voices, challenging the era’s exclusionary politics. In Kennedy’s inaugural year, Jackie had a stage built in the White House, hosting performances by renowned figures like cellist Pablo Casals, Shakespearean actors, and the Metropolitan Opera.
9. Public Humiliation
In August 1973, President Richard Nixon was under intense scrutiny from a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal. As his presidency teetered on the brink of collapse, Nixon’s mental state became increasingly fragile. During his first public appearance in months at a veterans’ convention in New Orleans, his frustration was palpable. As Nixon approached the convention hall, Press Secretary Ron Ziegler—who had dismissed Watergate as a “third-rate burglary”—apparently made a misstep. An irate Nixon seized Ziegler by the shoulders, turned him around, and pushed him away forcefully.
Historian David Greenberg noted, “Even by Nixon’s typical behavior, his actions in New Orleans were unusually strange.” CBS News correspondent Dan Rather filmed the incident, broadcasting it that night with the remark, “What you’re about to witness is a rare public display of presidential frustration.” Nixon’s mental state was questioned not just by journalists documenting his decline but also by White House personnel. Eventually, Press Secretary Ziegler forgave Nixon, saying, “I fully understood the circumstances. Of course, I was embarrassed.” Ron Ziegler died in February 2003 at the age of 63.
8. Rock ‘N’ Roll Press Secretary
Many would be surprised to learn that Tony Snow’s public image as a conservative professional contrasted sharply with his private life. Beyond his roles as press secretary, political commentator, and syndicated columnist, Snow was a passionate musician who could play nearly any instrument. When not briefing the press at the White House, he often performed blues rock with his cover band, Beats Workin’, at local bars and clubs. He frequently shared the stage with notable musicians like Skunk Baxter (of The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan) and Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull). Snow’s musical talent even earned him a spot on VH1 Classic’s Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy Camp.
Despite his unexpected hobbies, Snow exemplified professionalism, even as he endured the pain of surgery and chemotherapy. George W. Bush’s press secretary kept his illness private while maintaining a demanding schedule, striving to secure his family’s financial future. Snow passed away on July 12, 2008, at 53, after battling colon cancer, the same disease that took his mother’s life when he was 17. President Bush praised Snow as someone who “brought a sense of dignity to this highly contentious role.”
7. Morality
After President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, the White House was flooded with thousands of telegrams, letters, and messages from an angry public. Many Americans believed the pardon perpetuated the Watergate cover-up by “shielding the former President from potential prosecution.” The administration’s reputation suffered further as rumors spread of a “secret agreement” between Nixon and Ford. To add to the chaos, the press corps, furious and demanding answers, found an empty podium when Press Secretary Jerald terHorst resigned abruptly, having learned of the pardon just 24 hours earlier.
Despite being a close friend of Ford’s for over 25 years, terHorst felt he could not morally justify the president’s decision: “My issue wasn’t the pardon itself but the idea that it placed one individual above the law. That’s not how our country operates. Presidents are not exempt from legal accountability.” With this decision, Ford and terHorst ended their long-standing friendship just 31 days into Ford’s presidency.
Two months after stepping down, terHorst released Gerald Ford and the Future of the Presidency, where he criticized Ford’s judgment and called for transparency, asking, “How could Ford issue an unconditional pardon to Nixon without securing a signed admission of his involvement in Watergate?”
6. Open-Door Policy
During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was determined to streamline access to significant news for journalists. To achieve this, he directed his press secretary, Stephen Early, to implement an “open-door policy for all reporters.” Early, who had a background in journalism, worked diligently to include African American journalists in presidential press conferences.
Before this initiative, black correspondents were barred from attending White House briefings. However, Early persistently lobbied the White House Correspondence Association to grant press credentials to African American reporters. Thanks to his efforts, Harry McAlpin of the National Negro Publishers Association became the first African American journalist to join the White House press corps in 1944.
In 2016, President Obama paid tribute to McAlpin, recalling President Roosevelt’s words to the pioneering reporter. “I’m glad to see you, McAlpin,” Roosevelt said with his trademark smile, extending his hand. “And very happy to have you here.”
5. ‘I Feel As If I Killed Them’
Misfortune struck President Harry S. Truman when he lost two press secretaries to sudden heart attacks within two years. Truman’s childhood friend, Charles G. Ross, whom he had known since their school days in Independence, Missouri, was appointed press secretary in 1945. Ross was not only a skilled communicator with reporters but also a trusted confidant and advisor to the president. Tragically, on December 5, 1950, Ross collapsed and died at his White House desk shortly after a press conference.
Ross’s successor, Joseph H. Short Jr., was a temperamental and headstrong individual, starkly different in personality from Ross. The only similarity between the two seemed to be their untimely deaths. Less than two years after Ross’s passing, Short also died of a heart attack at 48. Devastated by these losses, Truman expressed his grief, saying, “I feel as if I killed them.”
4. Early 20th-Century Controversy
George E. Akerson, the nation’s inaugural press secretary under President Herbert Hoover, was no stranger to managing scandals. However, in 1927, a controversy that would seem absurd today erupted, threatening to derail Hoover’s presidential campaign.
During a visit to flood relief efforts in Mississippi, rumors spread that Hoover had danced with Mary Booze, a national committee woman. The issue wasn’t the dance itself but the fact that Mary was black. While such a story would be trivial today, it was politically damaging at the time. To counter the allegations during a heated campaign, Akerson swiftly denied the claims, calling them “completely false.”
Despite Akerson’s efforts, Governor Theodore G. Bilbo repeated the story in speeches across the South, forcing Hoover to have his press secretary send a telegram: “The claim is entirely baseless. It is the most disgraceful and unworthy statement in this bitter campaign. No more dishonest or dishonorable assertion has ever been made by a public figure in the United States.” Akerson emphasized that any interaction Hoover had with a “negro” was purely professional, occurring during a memorial honoring his service to their community. Hoover went on to win the election by a significant margin the following year.
3. The Brady Bill
On March 31, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired shots outside a Washington hotel, severely injuring President Ronald Reagan, a Secret Service agent, and a police officer. The most critically wounded in the failed assassination attempt was Press Secretary James Brady, who was struck above his left eye. The gravity of Brady’s injuries led major TV networks to mistakenly announce his death.
Despite surviving the attack, Brady was left permanently paralyzed and faced lifelong health challenges. Rather than letting his condition hold him back, Brady and his wife Sarah launched a relentless campaign advocating for stricter gun control laws. Their efforts culminated in the passage of the Brady Bill in November 1993, signed into law by President Clinton, which mandated a five-day waiting period and background checks for handgun purchases.
Brady’s struggles ended in August 2014 when he died at 73 in a retirement home in Alexandria, Virginia, following a series of health complications. A Virginia medical examiner later ruled his death a homicide, attributing it to the injuries he sustained 33 years earlier, which prompted a renewed investigation.
2. Unflappable George
George Christian, who acted as press secretary in the final three years of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency, was often seen as a loyalist for enduring the intense criticism directed at the unpopular administration. However, the most tragic moments for “Unflappable George,” as Johnson called him, unfolded in his personal life. At 30, Christian lost his first wife, Elizabeth Brown. Decades later, in May 1978, his 13-year-old son, John, fatally shot his 29-year-old English teacher, Wilbur Grayson, in front of classmates in an Austin, Texas, classroom. After the incident, John was diagnosed with a schizophrenic condition and spent two years in a Dallas psychiatric hospital before being released in 1980.
After the lenient handling of the murder case, the victim’s widow, Laura, filed a $9.4 million lawsuit against Christian. In 1981, the case was settled out of court, with Judge Herman Jones ensuring the terms remained confidential. George Christian passed away on November 27, 2002, at the age of 75.
1. Disgraceful Tactics
From July 1965 until stepping down as press secretary in December 1966, Bill Moyers held multiple roles in the Johnson administration, including chief of staff, presidential advisor, and lead speechwriter. Behind the scenes, however, Moyers engaged in more controversial activities. For example, he authorized a harsh attack on Barry Goldwater, greenlighting the infamous “Daisy” ad, which showed a young girl counting flower petals before a nuclear blast.
While harsh rhetoric is typical in political campaigns, Moyers took it a step further by targeting individuals’ careers based on their sexuality. In the 1960s, being homosexual could ruin a politician’s career. Records indicate that Moyers sought details about the sexual orientations of White House staff, possibly to “clean house” and bolster Johnson’s image. He even requested that the FBI investigate officials suspected of having “homosexual tendencies.”
In 2009, Moyers addressed the allegations, stating that his “memory [was] unclear” and that any information on the matter was initially presented to President Johnson by J. Edgar Hoover, the notorious cross-dressing FBI director.
