David Broder

David Broder was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who wrote for The Washington Post for over forty years.

 

Broder was born on September 11, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. At the University of Chicago, Broder received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts in 1947 and later received his maters degree in political science in 1951. While pursuing his master's degree, Broder started his journalism career off as the editor of The Chicago Maroon and later the Hyde Park Herald before being drafted into the US Army in 1951. After being discharged form the service in 1953, Broder bounced between jobs, from covering Congressional politics for the Congressional Quarterly in Washington DC, to working as a freelance writer for The New York Times.

 

In 1960, Broder joined the Washington Star as a political writer covering the presidential election between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. After five years, Broder left the Washington Star for The New York Times where he worked in their Washington bureau.    

 

Following his year and a half stint with The New York Times, Broder joined The Washington Post, where he would write columns for over forty years. Initially a reporter and weekly op-ed contributor, Broder gained national attention as over 300 newspapers carried his two weekly columns for many years. In addition to his work for The Washington Post, in 2008, Broder celebrated his 400th appearance on Meet the Press, far more than any other journalist.   

 

Among the many awards that Broder had received, Broder won the Pulitzer Prize for his commentary of the Watergate scandal in 1973, the 4th Estate Award from the National Press Club in 1990, and the White Burkett Miller Presidential Award in 1989. Broder also authored or co-authored eight books in addition to lecturing at Duke University from 1987-1988 and here at the University of Maryland Merrill College of Journalism in 2001.

 

Broder died on March 9, 2001 of complications from diabetes.

Although he passed away at the age of 81, his legacy will never be forgotten. Broder’s rare talent of combining regular news reporting with a weekly column set the standard for modern political coverage. He was referred to as the dean of the Washington press corps and his legacy of unbiased reporting will always be remembered and closely studied.

Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/biographies/david-s-broder.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/09/david-broder-dead-washington-post_n_833525.html