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Richard N. Goodwin

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Dick Goodwin
Goodwin in 1965
Born
Richard Naradof Goodwin

(1931-12-07)December 7, 1931
Boston,Massachusetts,U.S.
DiedMay 20, 2018(2018-05-20)(aged 86)
Concord, Massachusetts,U.S.
EducationTufts University(BA)
Harvard University(LLB)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Sandra Leverant
​
​
(m.1958; died 1972)​
​
(m.1975)​
Children3

Richard Naradof Goodwin(December 7, 1931 – May 20, 2018) was an American writer and presidential advisor. He was an aide andspeechwriterto PresidentsJohn F. KennedyandLyndon B. Johnson,and toSenator Eugene McCarthyand SenatorRobert F. Kennedy.He was married to historianDoris Kearns Goodwinfor 42 years until his death in 2018 after a short bout with cancer. He was 86.

Early life and education

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Goodwin was born on December 7, 1931, inBoston, Massachusetts,the son of Belle (née Fisher) and Joseph C. Goodwin, an engineer and insurance salesman. Goodwin was raised Jewish.[1][2][3]Goodwin graduated fromBrookline High School,[3]and in 1953 graduatedsumma cum laudefromTufts University,where he was elected toPhi Beta Kappa.[2][3]

He enlisted in theU.S. Armyin 1954, and served as a private in post-World War IIFrance.[3]After returning to the United States, he studied atHarvard Law School,graduating in 1958,summa cum laude.[4][5]He was first in his class[2]and president of theHarvard Law Review.[6]

Career

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Early career

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Afterclerkingfor JusticeFelix Frankfurterof theU.S. Supreme Court,Goodwin became counsel for theHouse Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commercewhere Goodwin was involved in investigatingquiz show scandals,particularly theTwenty-Onescandal.[2][7]This affair provided the story for the 1994 movieQuiz Show,in which Goodwin was portrayed by actorRob Morrow.[2]

Kennedy administration

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Goodwin joined the speechwriting staff ofJohn F. Kennedyin 1959.[4]Fellow Kennedy speechwriterTed Sorensenbecame a mentor to Goodwin.[5]Goodwin was one of the youngest members[8]of the group of "New Frontiersmen"who advised Kennedy; others includedFred Dutton,Ralph Dungan,Kenneth O'Donnell,andHarris Wofford,all of whom were under 37 years old.[9]

In 1961, after Kennedy became president, Goodwin became assistant special counsel to the President and a member of the Task Force onLatin AmericanAffairs. Later that year, Kennedy appointed him Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs; Goodwin held this position until 1963. Goodwin reportedly opposed theBay of Pigs invasionand unsuccessfully tried to persuade Kennedy not to order the operation.[3]

In August 1961, Goodwin was part of a delegation headed byU.S. TreasurySecretaryDouglas Dillonthat was sent toUruguayto attend a conference of Latin American finance ministers.[10][11]The topic under discussion was theAlliance for Progress,which was endorsed by all countries representatives excepting Cuban representativeChe Guevara.However, Guevara had no intentions of going home empty handed; he noticed that Goodwin smoked cigars during the meetings, and through an intermediary challenged him, suggesting he wouldn't dare smoke a Cuban cigar. Goodwin accepted the challenge, and subsequently, a gift of cigars in an elaborate polished mahogany box arrived from Guevara. Guevara expressed his desire to talk informally with Goodwin, and Goodwin received permission from Treasury Secretary Dillon. However, during the last day of the conference, Guevara had critical words for the press concerning the Alliance for Progress, and being the only representative to do so, speaking passionately on the topic, was upstaging the business-like, pin-striped, former-Wall-Street-banker Dillon. Dillon retracted his agreement for Guevara and Goodwin's meeting. However, Guevara persevered, and Goodwin agreed to listen, but he stressed that he had no real negotiating power.[10]

Later that evening at a party, Brazilian and Argentinian officials acted as intermediaries; Guevara and Goodwin were introduced, and went to a separate room so they could talk. Jokingly, Guevara "thanked" Goodwin for theBay of Pigsinvasion that had occurred only a few months earlier, as it had only solidified support for Castro. The ice was broken between the two men. Although they understood their countries were not destined to be friendly allies, they focused on what they could accomplish for the sake of peace. Ultimately, they came to the non-binding conclusion that if Cuba would be willing to desist from forming any military alliances with theUSSR,and not try to aid revolutionaries in other Latin American countries, America would be willing to stop trying to remove Castro by force and lift the trade embargo on Cuba, and vice versa. They agreed to reveal their conversation to only their respective leaders, Castro and Kennedy.[10]Despite agreeing to detail to Castro what he discussed in their meeting, Guevara afterwards contacted Goodwin through the Argentine participant of the meeting Horatio Larretta to express his appreciation.[12]

After returning from Uruguay, Goodwin wrote a memo for Kennedy on the meeting,[2]where he stated how successful he was in convincing Guevara that he was a member of Guevara's "newer generation" and how Guevara also sent another message to Goodwin where he described their meeting "quite profitable."[12]While the meeting prompted a "minor political furor,"[3]President Kennedy was ultimately satisfied with the outcome of Goodwin's efforts, and was the first to smoke one of the contraband Cuban cigars Goodwin had brought back. "'Are they good?' the president asked. 'They're the best,' Goodwin replied, prompting Kennedy to immediately open Guevara's gift and sample one of the Havanas."[10]

In July 1962, Goodwin met President Kennedy and U.S. AmbassadorLincoln Gordonand began assisting in plans for the eventual1964 Brazil coupagainst then-Brazil PresidentJoão Goulart.[13][14]

Goodwin also did significant work in the Kennedy White House to relocateancient Egyptianmonuments that were threatened with destruction in the building of theAswan Dam,including theAbu Simbel temples.[3]HistorianArthur M. Schlesinger Jr.,in his bookA Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House,called Goodwin:

the supreme generalist who could turn from Latin America to saving the Nile Monuments, from civil rights to planning a White House dinner for theNobel Prizewinners, from composing a parody ofNorman Mailerto drafting a piece of legislation, from lunching with a Supreme Court Justice to dining with [actress]Jean Seberg— and at the same time retain an unquenchable spirit of sardonic liberalism and unceasing drive to get things done.[2]

Following theassassination of John F. Kennedy,Goodwin, at the request ofJacqueline Kennedy,arranged for aneternal flame to be placed at Kennedy's graveatArlington National Cemetery.[15][16]

Johnson administration

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Goodwin in 1965 (left), withBill MoyersandPresident Johnsonin theOval Office.

From 1963 to 1964, Goodwin served as the secretary-general of theInternational Peace Corps Secretariat.[4]In 1964, he becamespecial assistant to the presidentin theLyndon B. Johnsonadministration.[4]Goodwin has been credited with naming Johnson's legislative agenda "theGreat Society",a term first used by Johnson in a May 1964 speech.[2]Although Goodwin contributed to a speech for Johnson outlining the program,[3]Bill Moyers,another Johnson advisor, was the principal author of the speech.[17]

Goodwin wrote speeches for Johnson reacting toBloody Sunday,the violent police suppression of civil rights marchers on theEdmund Pettus Bridge(1965)[2]and calling for passage of theVoting Rights Actof 1965.[3]Goodwin was also one of the writers ofRobert F. Kennedy'sDay of Affirmation Address(1966), the "ripple of hope" speech in which Kennedy denouncedapartheid in South Africa.[3]Goodwin was a key figure in the creation of theAlliance for Progress,a U.S. program to stimulate economic development in Latin America,[4]and wrote a major speech for Johnson on the subject.[3]

Career after government

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In September 1965, Goodwin resigned from his White House position over his disillusionment with theVietnam War.[2]After his departure, Goodwin continued to write speeches for Johnson occasionally, the last being the1966 State of the Union Address.[6]In 1975,Timemagazine reported that Goodwin had resigned after Johnson, who wanted to oust people close toRobert F. Kennedyfrom the White House, had askedFBI DirectorJ. Edgar Hooverto investigate him.[18]The next year, Goodwin publicly joined theantiwar movement,publishingTriumph or Tragedy: Reflections on Vietnam(1966), a book critical of the war. He also published articles criticizing the Johnson administration's actions in Vietnam inThe New Yorkerunder apseudonym.[2]

After leaving government, Goodwin held teaching positions; he was a fellow atWesleyan University's Center for Advanced Studies inMiddletown, Connecticut,from 1965 to 1967 and was visiting professor of public affairs at theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyin 1968.[3][4]In 1968, Goodwin was briefly involved inEugene McCarthy's presidential campaign,[2]managing McCarthy's campaign in theNew Hampshire primary,in which McCarthy won almost 42% of the vote, which was considered a moral, though not actual, victory over Johnson.[3]Goodwin left McCarthy's campaign and worked for SenatorRobert F. Kennedyafter he entered the race.[2]

Goodwin served briefly as political editor ofRolling Stonein 1974.[19]He wrote a memoir,Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties(1988).[3]In 2000, he contributed some lines to the concession speechAl Gorewrote with his chief speechwriterEli Attiefollowing the Supreme Court's controversial decision inBush v. Gore.[3][20]

His work was published inThe New Yorkerand he wrote numerous books, articles and plays. In 2003, theYvonne Arnaud Theatrein Guildford, England, produced his new workThe Hinge of the World,which took as its subject matter the17th-century conflict between Galileo Galilei and the Vatican.[21]RetitledTwo Men of Florence(referring to Galileo and his adversaryPope Urban VIII,who as Cardinal Maffeo Barberini had once been Galileo's mentor), the play made its American debut at theHuntington Theatrein Boston in March 2009.[22]

Awards and honors

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Goodwin received the Public Leadership Award from theAspen Instituteand the Distinguished American Award from theJohn F. Kennedy Library.[3]

Personal life

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Goodwin was married to Sandra Leverant from 1958 until her death in 1972.[3][2]They had one son, Richard.[2][3]On December 14, 1975,[23]he married writer and historianDoris Kearns,[3][24]with whom he had two children: Michael and Joseph.[2]Goodwin died at his home in Concord, Massachusetts, on May 20, 2018, after a brief bout with cancer.[25]He was 86 years old.

See also

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Books

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  • Goodwin, Richard N. (1998).The Hinge of the World: In Which Professor Galileo Galilei, Chief Mathematician and Philosopher to His Serene Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and His Holiness Urban VIII Battle for the Soul of the World.Farrar Straus & Giroux.ISBN0-374-17002-9.OCLC37854192.
  • Goodwin, Richard N. (1988).Remembering America: A Voice From the Sixties.HarperCollins.ISBN0-06-097241-6.
  • Goodwin, Richard N. (1974).The American Condition.Doubleday.ISBN0385004249.
  • Goodwin, Richard N. (1992).Promises to Keep.Random House.ISBN0-8129-2054-6.

References

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  1. ^Richard N. Goodwin website.1969.RetrievedJuly 7,2015.
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnopMatt Schudel,Richard N. Goodwin, 'supreme generalist' who was top aide to JFK and LBJ, dies at 86,Washington Post(May 21, 2018).
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrsKahn, Joseph P. (2018-05-21)."Richard N. Goodwin, White House speech writer and husband to Doris Kearns Goodwin, dead at 86 - The Boston Globe".The Boston Globe.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-08-26.Retrieved2018-05-24.
  4. ^abcdefPersonal Papers of Richard N. Goodwin,John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
  5. ^abRichard N. Goodwin, Adviser to Democratic Presidents, Dies at 86,New York Times(May 21, 2018).
  6. ^ab"Goodwin, Richard" in John R. Burch Jr.,The Great Society and the War on Poverty: An Economic Legacy in Essays and Documents(ABC-CLIO: 2017), p. 96-97.
  7. ^Jon Bradshaw,Richard Goodwin: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,New York (August 18, 1975).
  8. ^Richard N. Goodwin, White House Speech Writer, Dead at 86,Associated Press (May 21, 2018).
  9. ^The New Frontiersmen: Profiles of the Men Around Kennedy(Public Affairs Press,1961), p. ix.
  10. ^abcdDavid Talbot (2007).Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years.New York: Free Press/Simon and Schuster.ISBN9781847395856.
  11. ^The next two paragraphs draw heavily on the account of this event documented in David Talbot's bookBrothersas cited in the prior footnote. One result of the event, Goodwin's memo to Kennedy, is cited subsequently.
  12. ^abRichard Goodwin. August 22, 1961.Memorandum for the President: "Conservation with Commandante Ernesto Guevara of Cuba"Archived2020-03-29 at theWayback Machine,White House.
  13. ^"White House, Transcript of Meeting between President Kennedy, Ambassador Lincoln Gordon and Richard Goodwin, July 30, 1962"(PDF).National Security Archive.July 30, 1962.Archived(PDF)from the original on March 25, 2017.RetrievedMay 23,2021.
  14. ^Hershberg, James G.; Kornbluh, Peter (April 2, 2014)."Brazil Marks 50th Anniversary of Military Coup".The National Security Archive.RetrievedMay 23,2021.
  15. ^Gus Russo & Harry Moses,Where Were You?: America Remembers the JFK Assassination(Lyons Press, 2013), p. 119.
  16. ^Vincent Bugliosi,Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy(W.W. Norton, 2007), p. 313.
  17. ^Steven F. Hayward,The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order: 1964-1980(Three Rivers Press, 2001), p. 29.
  18. ^"The Truth About J. Edgar Hoover".Time.December 22, 1975. Archived fromthe originalon April 26, 2009.
  19. ^Philip Nobile,'Rolling Stone' Tones Up,New York(January 26, 1981).
  20. ^Smith, Roger (20 November 2002)."Al Gore Has Stopped The Sighs".Jewish World Review.
  21. ^Hoge, Warren (April 9, 2003)."Speechwriter With a Second Act; For a Play About Titans, Richard Goodwin Draws on His Experience".The New York Times.
  22. ^Rizzo, Frank (March 12, 2009)."Review: 'Two Men of Florence'".Variety.
  23. ^It Was A Great Society Reunion,by William Fripp, in theBoston Globe;published December 15, 1975; page 17; viaNewspapers.com
  24. ^Roughier, Ray (March 15, 1995)."The Natural TV producers love Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and baseball fan, who is right at home in front of a camera. Now Mainers will have three chances to see her in person".Portland Press Herald.p. 1C.RetrievedSeptember 6,2009.
  25. ^"Richard N. Goodwin, White House speechwriter, dead at 86".The Salt Lake Tribune.

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