Anderson, Jack

▪ 2006

Jackson Northman Anderson 

      American journalist (b. Oct. 19, 1922, Long Beach, Calif.—d. Dec. 17, 2005, Bethesda, Md.), exposed political corruption in Washington, D.C., through his widely syndicated newspaper column, “Washington Merry-Go-Round” (1964–2004). He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for his reports on the shifting positions of the administration of Pres. Richard Nixon on the conflict between Pakistan and India. Anderson had numerous scoops. He broke the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal that plagued Pres. Ronald Reagan's second term; disclosed the CIA's enlistment of the Mafia to assassinate Fidel Castro; and uncovered the mystery surrounding the death of Howard Hughes. In one miscue, however, Anderson reported in 1972 that Sen. Thomas Eagleton had had drunken-driving arrests. Anderson later confessed (and apologized to Eagleton) that he could not verify the information. Anderson was the author of more than a dozen books.

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