Ron Nessen
Ron Nessen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nessen in 1975 | |
| 15th White House Press Secretary | |
| In office September 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Jerald terHorst |
| Succeeded by | Jody Powell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald Harold Nessen May 25, 1934 Rockville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | March 12, 2025 (aged 90) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
Ronald Harold Nessen (May 25, 1934 – March 12, 2025) was an American government official and journalist who served as the 15th White House Press Secretary for President Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977. He replaced Jerald terHorst, who resigned in the wake of President Ford's pardon of former president Richard Nixon.
Background
[edit]Born in Rockville, Maryland, on May 25, 1934, Nessen grew up in the Shepherd Park area of Washington, D.C., and was educated at Calvin Coolidge High School before going on to graduate from American University.[1]
Career
[edit]Nessen began his career as a journalist, starting at Maryland's Montgomery County Sentinel before moving onto United Press and NBC News.[1] On the day of Ford's succession to the presidency, August 9, 1974, he provided commentary. That evening he was on the NBC Nightly News; in that piece, Nessen reported on the appointment of Jerald terHorst, the man whom he would succeed one month later, serving until the end of the Ford administration in January 1977.
Nessen, who also served NBC News as a war correspondent during the Vietnam War, was seriously wounded by grenade fragments while on patrol outside Pleiku in the Central Highlands in July 1966. He was with cameraman Peter Boultwood when he was wounded.[2][3]
On April 17, 1976, Nessen was the first political figure to host Saturday Night Live. His episode is also known for having Gerald Ford open the show with the "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!" tagline.[4][3]
On a previous episode, Nessen was portrayed by Buck Henry.
Nessen also served as host of WTTG's long-running news program "Panorama" and later headed the news department at the Mutual Broadcasting System, adding oversight of NBC Radio News under its corporate successor Westwood One.
Nessen was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1996 to 2003, and served as Chair in 2003.[5]
Personal life and death
[edit]Nessen married Sandra Frey in 1954; they had two children, one of whom died at age five, and later divorced.[1] In 1967, he married Young Hi Song, with whom he had a son before divorcing in 1981.[1] A 1988 marriage to fellow journalist Johanna Newman also ended in divorce.[1]
Nessen died in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 12, 2025, at the age of 90.[1]
Works
[edit]- Nessen, Ron. It Sure Looks Different on the Inside. Playboy Press, 1979. (ISBN 0-87223-500-9)
- Nessen, Ron. The First Lady
- Nessen, Ron. The Hour
- Nessen, Ron and Neuman, Johanna. Death with Honors
- Nessen, Ron and Neuman, Johanna. Press Corpse
- Nessen, Ron and Neuman, Johanna. Knight and Day
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f McFadden, Robert D. (March 13, 2025). "Ron Nessen, Ford's White House Press Secretary, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
- ^ Steinman, Ron, Inside Television's First War: A Saigon Journal (University of Missouri Press, 2002), via books.google.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ a b "NBC's Ron Nessen wounded while on patrol with Charlie Company of 101st Airborne" Archived 2016-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, nbcuniversalarchives.com. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
- ^ "Saturday Night Live Season 1 Episode 17: Ron Nessen ...", tv.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ "July 1, 1996 – June 30, 1997 ... July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004 Peabody Board Members" Archived May 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, peabodyawards.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
External links
[edit]
- Ron Nessen at IMDb
- Ron Nessen at the Ford Presidential Library
- Brookings Institution press release on Nessen's becoming VP of Communications there
- Ron Nessen on Saturday Night Live
- Appearances on C-SPAN
