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{{Short description|American journalist and spokesman for U.S. President Richard Nixon}}
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'''Ken Wade Clawson''' (August 16, 1936 – December 18, 1999) was an American [[journalist]], best known as a spokesman for U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] at the time of the [[Watergate scandal]]. He was promoted from Nixon's deputy director of communications to director in early 1974 as the scandal continued to unfold, and following Nixon's resignation in August 1974, Clawson continued in the same role for three months under President [[Gerald Ford]].
{{Infobox officeholder
⚫
| name = Ken Clawson
| office = [[White House Communications Director|White House Director of Communications]]
| president = [[Richard Nixon]]<br>[[Gerald Ford]]
| term_start = January 30, 1974
| term_end = November 4, 1974
| predecessor = [[Herb Klein (journalist)|Herb Klein]]
| successor = [[Gerald Lee Warren|Jerry Warren]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|8|16}}
| birth_place = [[Monroe, Michigan|Monroe]], [[Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|12|17|1936|8|16}}
⚫
| death_place = [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], U.S.
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education = [[University of Michigan]]<br>[[Bowling Green State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| birth_name = Ken Wade Clawson
⚫
}}
⚫
'''Ken Wade Clawson''' (August 16, 1936 – December 17, 1999) was an American [[journalist]], best known as a spokesman for U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] at the time of the [[Watergate scandal]]. He was promoted from Nixon's deputy director of communications to director in early 1974 as the scandal continued to unfold, and following Nixon's resignation in August 1974, Clawson continued in the same role for three months under President [[Gerald Ford]].


==Education and early career==
==Education and early career==
Clawson was born into a working-class family in [[Monroe, Michigan]].<ref name="Stout">{{cite news |last=Stout |first=David |authorlink=David Stout |date=December 20, 1999 |title=Ken W. Clawson, 63, Director Of Communications for Nixon |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/20/us/ken-w-clawson-63-director-of-communications-for-nixon.html |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York |accessdate=September 15, 2014}}</ref> He attended the [[University of Michigan]],<ref name="Stout"/> and obtained his [[undergraduate]] degree from [[Bowling Green State University]]. He became a labor reporter for the ''[[Toledo Blade]]'' newspaper, and was honored for his work there, winning a [[Nieman Fellowship]] to attend [[Harvard University]] in 1967. He then joined ''[[The Washington Post]]'' as a reporter.<ref name="Stout"/>
Clawson was born into a working-class family in [[Monroe, Michigan]].<ref name="Stout">{{cite news |last=Stout |first=David |authorlink=David Stout |date=December 20, 1999 |title=Ken W. Clawson, 63, Director Of Communications for Nixon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/20/us/ken-w-clawson-63-director-of-communications-for-nixon.html |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York |accessdate=September 15, 2014}}</ref> He attended the [[University of Michigan]],<ref name="Stout"/> but obtained his [[undergraduate]] degree from [[Bowling Green State University]]. He became a labor reporter for the ''[[Toledo Blade]]'' newspaper, and was honored for his work there, winning a [[Nieman Fellowship]] to attend [[Harvard University]] in 1967. He then joined ''[[The Washington Post]]'' as a reporter.<ref name="Stout"/>


==Joins White House staff==
==White House staff==
* 1971 to January 1974: Deputy director of communications, under [[Herbert G. Klein]]; he succeeded [[Jeb Stuart Magruder]], who moved to [[CREEP|Committee to Re-Elect the President]].
From 1972 until January 1974 Clawson served as the White House deputy director of communications, under [[Herbert G. Klein]]; he succeeded [[Jeb Stuart Magruder]], who had moved to the [[CREEP|Committee to Re-Elect the President]]. From January 30, 1974 to November 4, 1974, he served as Director of the White House Office of Communications<ref>John Anthony Maltese (1992). Spin control: the White House Office of Communications and the management of presidential news. University of North Carolina Press. {{ISBN|978-0-8078-2034-6}}.</ref>
* January 30, 1974 to November 4, 1974 - Director of White House Office of Communications


==The "Canuck letter"==
==The "Canuck letter"==
Clawson is perhaps best known for an incident which occurred as the [[Watergate scandal]] was breaking in late 1972. According to [[Bob Woodward]] and [[Carl Bernstein]] in their 1974 best-selling book ''[[All the President's Men]]'', Clawson bragged about having written the [[Canuck letter]] to a friend, [[Marilyn Berger]], who happened to be a ''[[Washington Post]]'' reporter, whom he had known from his days with the newspaper. Berger passed the information along to Woodward and Bernstein, who were engaged in writing a series of articles in the ''Post'' exposing "[[ratfucking]]" ([[dirty tricks]]) by the [[CREEP|Committee to Re-Elect the President]] (CREEP). The Canuck letter was a ploy used to try to disrupt the presidential campaign of [[Edmund Muskie]], who was viewed by many senior [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]s as Nixon's most dangerous potential opponent for the 1972 presidential race. It was published by the ''[[Manchester Union Leader]]'', whose publisher, [[William Loeb III]], was a Nixon supporter. The ploy was successful, and damaged frontrunner Muskie's momentum; he eventually lost the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]'s nomination to [[George McGovern]], who was trounced by Nixon in the November 1972 presidential election.
Clawson is perhaps best known for an incident which occurred as the [[Watergate scandal]] was breaking in late 1972. According to [[Bob Woodward]] and [[Carl Bernstein]] in their 1974 best-selling book ''[[All the President's Men]]'', Clawson bragged about having written the [[Canuck letter]] to a friend, [[Marilyn Berger]], who happened to be a ''[[Washington Post]]'' reporter, whom he had known from his days with the newspaper. Berger passed the information along to Woodward and Bernstein, who were engaged in writing a series of articles in the ''Post'' exposing "[[ratfucking]]" (dirty tricks) by the [[CREEP|Committee to Re-Elect the President]] (CRP). The Canuck letter was a ploy used to try to disrupt the presidential campaign of [[Edmund Muskie]], who was viewed by many senior [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]s as Nixon's most dangerous potential opponent for the 1972 presidential race. It was published by the ''[[Manchester Union Leader]]'', whose publisher, [[William Loeb III]], was a leading Nixon supporter. The ploy was successful and damaged frontrunner Muskie's momentum, causing him to drop out of the race. George McGovern won the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party]] nomination but was eventally trounced by Nixon in the [[United States presidential election, 1972|1972 election cycle]].


Supposedly, when confronted with the information, Clawson tried unsuccessfully to deny it, despite having bragged to Berger about it in the first place. He replied that he did not want Berger revealed as the source, nor did he want made public the circumstances of their conversation, saying it would disrupt his marriage. Clawson had called Berger and was invited to visit her apartment for a drink. He pleaded, unsuccessfully: "I have a wife and a family and a dog and a cat."<ref>''All the President's Men'', by [[Carl Bernstein]] and [[Bob Woodward]], New York, Simon & Schuster, 1974</ref> While the authenticity of this part of the story may be open to some speculation, and was not reported by the ''Post'' in its original October 1972 story, it was featured in the 1976 film adaptation of ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the Presidents Men]]''.
Supposedly, when confronted with the information, Clawson tried unsuccessfully to deny it, despite having bragged to Berger about it in the first place. He replied that he did not want Berger revealed as the source, nor did he want made public the circumstances of their conversation, saying it would disrupt his marriage. Clawson had called Berger and was invited to visit her apartment for a drink. He pleaded, unsuccessfully: "I have a wife and a family and a dog and a cat."<ref>''All the President's Men'', by [[Carl Bernstein]] and [[Bob Woodward]], New York, Simon & Schuster, 1974</ref> While the authenticity of this part of the story may be open to some speculation, and was not reported by ''The Washington Post'' in its original October 1972 story, it was featured in the 1974 book ''[[All the President's Men]]'' as well as the 1976 [[All the President's Men (film)|film adaptation]] of the book.


==Later years==
==Later years==
In the 1990s, Clawson was the subject of many articles pointing to him as the possible identity of [[Deep Throat (Watergate)|Deep Throat]], [[Bob Woodward]]'s confidential source in the Executive Branch. Woodward's source was conclusively identified in 2005 as being [[Mark Felt]], a high-ranking [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] official.
In the 1990s, Clawson was the subject of many articles pointing to him as the possible identity of [[Deep Throat (Watergate)|Deep Throat]], [[Bob Woodward]]'s confidential source in the Executive Branch. Woodward's source was conclusively identified in 2005 as being [[Mark Felt]], the [[Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation|second-in-command]] at the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] during the investigation into the [[Watergate scandal]].


Clawson died in [[New Orleans]] at the age of 63 on December 18, 1999. He was survived by his wife Carol, three living children, his mother and sister, along with six grandchildren. He had suffered from poor health following a stroke in 1975, the year after he left the White House.<ref name="Stout"/>
Clawson died from a heart attack in [[New Orleans]] at the age of 63 on December 17, 1999. He was survived by his wife Carol, three living children, his mother and sister, along with six grandchildren. He had suffered from poor health following a stroke in 1975, the year after he left the White House.<ref name="Stout"/>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Herb Klein (journalist)|Herb Klein]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[White House Communications Director|White House Director of Communications]]|years=1974}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Gerald Lee Warren|Jerry Warren]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{WHCD}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
⚫
| NAME = Clawson, Ken W.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American journalist, public servant
| DATE OF BIRTH = August 16, 1936
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Monroe, Michigan
| DATE OF DEATH = December 18, 1999
⚫
| PLACE OF DEATH = New Orleans, Louisiana
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clawson, Ken W.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clawson, Ken W.}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:United States presidential advisors]]
[[Category:20th-century American writers]]
⚫
[[Category:University of Michigan alumni]]
[[Category:Bowling Green State University alumni]]
[[Category:Bowling Green State University alumni]]
[[Category:Nieman Fellows]]
[[Category:Nieman Fellows]]
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[[Category:The Washington Post journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century American writers]]
[[Category:Nixon administration personnel involved in the Watergate scandal]]
[[Category:Nixon administration personnel involved in the Watergate scandal]]
⚫
[[Category:The Washington Post journalists]]
[[Category:United States presidential advisors]]
⚫
[[Category:University of Michigan alumni]]
[[Category:White House Communications Directors]]
[[Category:People from Monroe, Michigan]]

Revision as of 18:46, 3 April 2024

Ken Clawson
White House Director of Communications
In office
January 30, 1974 – November 4, 1974
PresidentRichard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Preceded byHerb Klein
Succeeded byJerry Warren
Personal details
Born
Ken Wade Clawson

(1936-08-16)August 16, 1936
Monroe, Michigan, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 1999(1999-12-17) (aged 63)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Michigan
Bowling Green State University (BA)

Ken Wade Clawson (August 16, 1936 – December 17, 1999) was an American journalist, best known as a spokesman for U.S. President Richard Nixon at the time of the Watergate scandal. He was promoted from Nixon's deputy director of communications to director in early 1974 as the scandal continued to unfold, and following Nixon's resignation in August 1974, Clawson continued in the same role for three months under President Gerald Ford.

Education and early career

Clawson was born into a working-class family in Monroe, Michigan.[1] He attended the University of Michigan,[1] but obtained his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University. He became a labor reporter for the Toledo Blade newspaper, and was honored for his work there, winning a Nieman Fellowship to attend Harvard University in 1967. He then joined The Washington Post as a reporter.[1]

White House staff

From 1972 until January 1974 Clawson served as the White House deputy director of communications, under Herbert G. Klein; he succeeded Jeb Stuart Magruder, who had moved to the Committee to Re-Elect the President. From January 30, 1974 to November 4, 1974, he served as Director of the White House Office of Communications[2]

The "Canuck letter"

Clawson is perhaps best known for an incident which occurred as the Watergate scandal was breaking in late 1972. According to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in their 1974 best-selling book All the President's Men, Clawson bragged about having written the Canuck letter to a friend, Marilyn Berger, who happened to be a Washington Post reporter, whom he had known from his days with the newspaper. Berger passed the information along to Woodward and Bernstein, who were engaged in writing a series of articles in the Post exposing "ratfucking" (dirty tricks) by the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP). The Canuck letter was a ploy used to try to disrupt the presidential campaign of Edmund Muskie, who was viewed by many senior Republicans as Nixon's most dangerous potential opponent for the 1972 presidential race. It was published by the Manchester Union Leader, whose publisher, William Loeb III, was a leading Nixon supporter. The ploy was successful and damaged frontrunner Muskie's momentum, causing him to drop out of the race. George McGovern won the Democratic party nomination but was eventally trounced by Nixon in the 1972 election cycle.

Supposedly, when confronted with the information, Clawson tried unsuccessfully to deny it, despite having bragged to Berger about it in the first place. He replied that he did not want Berger revealed as the source, nor did he want made public the circumstances of their conversation, saying it would disrupt his marriage. Clawson had called Berger and was invited to visit her apartment for a drink. He pleaded, unsuccessfully: "I have a wife and a family and a dog and a cat."[3] While the authenticity of this part of the story may be open to some speculation, and was not reported by The Washington Post in its original October 1972 story, it was featured in the 1974 book All the President's Men as well as the 1976 film adaptation of the book.

Later years

In the 1990s, Clawson was the subject of many articles pointing to him as the possible identity of Deep Throat, Bob Woodward's confidential source in the Executive Branch. Woodward's source was conclusively identified in 2005 as being Mark Felt, the second-in-command at the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the investigation into the Watergate scandal.

Clawson died from a heart attack in New Orleans at the age of 63 on December 17, 1999. He was survived by his wife Carol, three living children, his mother and sister, along with six grandchildren. He had suffered from poor health following a stroke in 1975, the year after he left the White House.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Stout, David (December 20, 1999). "Ken W. Clawson, 63, Director Of Communications for Nixon". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  2. ^ John Anthony Maltese (1992). Spin control: the White House Office of Communications and the management of presidential news. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-2034-6.
  3. ^ All the President's Men, by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1974
Political offices
Preceded by White House Director of Communications
1974 		Succeeded by
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