born Nov. 3, 1909, Clydebank, Dumbartonshire, Scot.
died Dec. 6, 1995, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Scottish-born U.S. columnist and editor.
His family moved to the U.S. when he was 10 years old. He was a sportswriter before joining The New York Times in 1939, where he worked as a reporter, a nationally syndicated columnist, Washington bureau chief (1953–64), executive editor (1968–69), and vice president (1969–74) before retiring in 1989. One of the most influential U.S. journalists, he had unrivaled personal access to U.S. presidents and world leaders and was often the first to break major stories. He won two Pulitzer Prizes (1945, 1957), helped create the first Op-Ed page (1970; a forum for columnists' opinion pieces), and recruited and trained many talented young journalists.