Dick Wirthlin
Encyclopedia
Richard Bitner Wirthlin (March 15, 1931 March 16, 2011) was a prominent American pollster, who is best known as Ronald Reagan's
chief strategist, serving as his political consultant and pollster for twenty years, from 1968 through the end of his presidency. He became a senior adviser and member of Reagan's his inner circle and is known to have helped him shape his political message and strategies, both in presidential campaigns and in the White House. Wirthlin also was a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a member of its Second Quorum of the Seventy from 1996 to 2001.
, the son of Joseph L. Wirthlin
, the presiding bishop
of the LDS Church. As a young adult, he spent two years as a Mormon missionary
, serving in Switzerland
and Austria
between 1951 and 1953. Wirthlin was assigned to Basel, Switzerland for his entire mission. After finishing his missionary service, Wirthlin studied for a B.A. in economics
and an M.A. in economics and statistics
from the University of Utah
. From 1954 to 1955 he served in the United States army. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.
. Over the years his firm had various names, including Decision Making Information, Inc., The Wirthlin Group, and finally, Wirthlin Worldwide. The firm was acquired in 2004 by Harris Interactive
. After the merger with Harris Interactive, Wirthlin served on its board of directors.
In 1980, when California
governor Ronald Reagan
decided to run for president, he turned to Wirthlin for political advice. Wirthlin, together with his consulting firm, played a pivotal role in both the 1980 and 1984 elections of Reagan. After Reagan won the 1980 presidential election, Wirthlin moved to Washington, D.C.
and continued to assist the president and the Republican National Committee
. His work on the first Reagan campaign earned him the title, Adman of the Year, declared by Advertising Age
.
In addition to his consulting work, he has been the author of two books and at least one podcast:
In 1995, Wirthlin returned to his native Utah and eventually took up a full-time ecclesiastical position with the LDS Church. In 1996, Wirthlin was asked by church president Gordon B. Hinckley
to serve as a general authority
of the church. Wirthlin accepted and served as a member of its Second Quorum of the Seventy until October 2001, when he was honorably released from his duties.
of the LDS Church. They became the parents of eight children.
Wirthlin has several relatives who have held prominent leadership positions of the LDS Church. His father
was the presiding bishop
of the church from 1952 to 1961. His older brother, Joseph B. Wirthlin
, was an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church from 1986 to 2008. He is a first-cousin on his mother's side to Gordon B. Hinckley
, president of the church from 1995 to 2008 and the official who invited him to his last post with the church.
in his Salt Lake City home one day after his eightieth birthday. he was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
chief strategist, serving as his political consultant and pollster for twenty years, from 1968 through the end of his presidency. He became a senior adviser and member of Reagan's his inner circle and is known to have helped him shape his political message and strategies, both in presidential campaigns and in the White House. Wirthlin also was a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a member of its Second Quorum of the Seventy from 1996 to 2001.
Early life
Wirthin was born in Salt Lake City, UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, the son of Joseph L. Wirthlin
Joseph L. Wirthlin
Joseph Leopold Wirthlin was the eighth presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
, the presiding bishop
Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
of the LDS Church. As a young adult, he spent two years as a Mormon missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
, serving in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
between 1951 and 1953. Wirthlin was assigned to Basel, Switzerland for his entire mission. After finishing his missionary service, Wirthlin studied for a B.A. in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and an M.A. in economics and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. From 1954 to 1955 he served in the United States army. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Career in polling firm and politics
In 1969, Wirthlin founded a survey research firm based in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Over the years his firm had various names, including Decision Making Information, Inc., The Wirthlin Group, and finally, Wirthlin Worldwide. The firm was acquired in 2004 by Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive , headquartered in New York, New York, is a custom market research firm, known for the Harris Poll. Harris works in a wide range of industries...
. After the merger with Harris Interactive, Wirthlin served on its board of directors.
In 1980, when California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
governor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
decided to run for president, he turned to Wirthlin for political advice. Wirthlin, together with his consulting firm, played a pivotal role in both the 1980 and 1984 elections of Reagan. After Reagan won the 1980 presidential election, Wirthlin moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and continued to assist the president and the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
. His work on the first Reagan campaign earned him the title, Adman of the Year, declared by Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
.
In addition to his consulting work, he has been the author of two books and at least one podcast:
- The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life, co-authored with Wynton Hall, Published in 2004, the book describes his years working with former president Ronald Reagan
- Estrategia Electoral: Persuadir Por La Razon, Motivar Por La Emocion, La Estrategia De La Comunicacion Politica, published in 1995
- Podcast on Entrprenuerism, February 12, 2007
Service in the LDS Church
Among many other ecclesiastical assignments over the years, Wirthlin served for a time as a bishop in the LDS Church.In 1995, Wirthlin returned to his native Utah and eventually took up a full-time ecclesiastical position with the LDS Church. In 1996, Wirthlin was asked by church president Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
to serve as a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of the church. Wirthlin accepted and served as a member of its Second Quorum of the Seventy until October 2001, when he was honorably released from his duties.
Family
On 23 November 1956, Wirthlin married Jeralie Mae Chandler in the Salt Lake TempleSalt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
of the LDS Church. They became the parents of eight children.
Wirthlin has several relatives who have held prominent leadership positions of the LDS Church. His father
Joseph L. Wirthlin
Joseph Leopold Wirthlin was the eighth presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
was the presiding bishop
Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
of the church from 1952 to 1961. His older brother, Joseph B. Wirthlin
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Joseph Bitner Wirthlin was an American businessman, religious leader and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was sustained to the Quorum on October 4, 1986, and ordained an apostle on October 9, 1986 by Thomas S. Monson, following the...
, was an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church from 1986 to 2008. He is a first-cousin on his mother's side to Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
, president of the church from 1995 to 2008 and the official who invited him to his last post with the church.
Death
Wirthlin died of renal failureRenal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
in his Salt Lake City home one day after his eightieth birthday. he was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
Salt Lake City Cemetery
thumb|The northern section of the cemetery at night, looking towards Salt Lake CityThe Salt Lake City Cemetery is in The Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery. Many religious leaders and politicians, particularly many leaders of The...
.