Mary McGrory
Encyclopedia
Mary McGrory was a liberal American
journalist
and columnist
. She was a fierce opponent of the Vietnam War
and was on Richard Nixon
's enemies list
for writing "daily hate Nixon articles."
Born in Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
to Edward and Mary McGrory, she shared her father's love of Latin
and writing, and she graduated from the Girls' Latin School
and began her career as a book reviewer at The Boston Herald. She was hired in 1947 by The Washington Star and began her career as a journalist, a path she was inspired to take by reading Jane Arden
comic strips. She rose to prominence as their reporter covering the McCarthy hearings
in 1954.
McGrory won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
in 1975, for her articles about the Watergate scandal
. After the Star went out of business in 1981, she went to work for The Washington Post
. In 1985, McGrory received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy
Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College
. She died in Washington, D.C.
at the age of 85.
McGrory was assigned by the Star to travel with Robert F. Kennedy
during his ill fated 1968 presidential campaign and became close to his wife Ethel at the time.
column that George McGovern
would win the 1972 presidential campaign "by a landslide". As it turned out, the book's author, rather than McGrory, had written ineptly. McGrory's October 22, 1972, Star column had been about McGovern's showing in the state of Michigan
, which she felt might be one of the few states McGovern could win. The column began, "Here in Michigan, they have failed to get the word about the Nixon landslide." Nevertheless, readers of Coffey's book were given the impression that the liberal McGrory had made the most erroneous "prediction" in political history.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
. She was a fierce opponent of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and was on Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's enemies list
Nixon's Enemies List
Nixon’s Enemies List is the informal name of what started as a list of President of the United States Richard Nixon’s major political opponents compiled by Charles Colson, written by George T. Bell , and sent in memorandum form to John Dean on September 9, 1971...
for writing "daily hate Nixon articles."
Born in Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain...
to Edward and Mary McGrory, she shared her father's love of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and writing, and she graduated from the Girls' Latin School
Boston Latin Academy
Boston Latin Academy is a public exam school founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts providing students in grades 7th through 12th a rigorous classical preparatory education....
and began her career as a book reviewer at The Boston Herald. She was hired in 1947 by The Washington Star and began her career as a journalist, a path she was inspired to take by reading Jane Arden
Jane Arden
Jane Arden was an internationally syndicated daily newspaper comic strip which ran from 1927 to 1968. The title character was the original "spunky girl reporter," actively seeking to infiltrate and expose criminal activity rather than just report on its consequences and served as a prototype for...
comic strips. She rose to prominence as their reporter covering the McCarthy hearings
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
in 1954.
McGrory won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
The Pulitzer Prize for Commentary has been awarded since 1970. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.-List of winners and their official citations:...
in 1975, for her articles about the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
. After the Star went out of business in 1981, she went to work for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. In 1985, McGrory received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy
Elijah P. Lovejoy
Elijah Parish Lovejoy was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, newspaper editor and abolitionist. He was murdered by an opposition mob in Alton, Illinois during their attack on his warehouse to destroy his press and abolitionist materials.Lovejoy's father was a Congregational minister...
Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
. She died in 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....
at the age of 85.
Friendship with the Kennedy Family
McGrory wrote extensively about the Kennedy presidency. She and JFK were close in age, both of Irish descent and from Boston. McGrory's exchange with Daniel Patrick Moynihan after the president's assassination was quoted widely: “We will never laugh again,” said McGrory. Moynihan, who worked for President Kennedy responded, “Mary, we will laugh again. But we will never be young again.”McGrory was assigned by the Star to travel with Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
during his ill fated 1968 presidential campaign and became close to his wife Ethel at the time.
Urban legend
In a 1983 paperback, Wayne Coffey's 303 of the World's Worst Predictions, McGrory was falsely described as having "predicted" in her Washington StarWashington Star
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
column that George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
would win the 1972 presidential campaign "by a landslide". As it turned out, the book's author, rather than McGrory, had written ineptly. McGrory's October 22, 1972, Star column had been about McGovern's showing in the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, which she felt might be one of the few states McGovern could win. The column began, "Here in Michigan, they have failed to get the word about the Nixon landslide." Nevertheless, readers of Coffey's book were given the impression that the liberal McGrory had made the most erroneous "prediction" in political history.