Alden Whitman | |
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Born | New Albany, Nova Scotia, Canada | October 27, 1913
Died | September 4, 1990 Monte Carlo, Monaco | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1935–1988 |
Employers |
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Known for | Pioneered the writing of biographical obituaries |
Criminal charges | Contempt of Congress |
Criminal penalty | Probation |
Spouses |
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Children | 4 |
Awards | George Polk Career Award (1979) |
Alden Rogers Whitman (October 27, 1913 – September 4, 1990) was an American journalist who served as chief obituary writer for The New York Times from 1964 to 1976. In that role, he pioneered a more vivid, biographical approach to obituaries, some based on interviews with his subjects in advance of their deaths. Whitman was also the target of a McCarthy-era investigation into communists in the press. Under questioning by the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security in 1956, he acknowledged his affiliation with the Communist Party USA but refused to name other party members. The ensuing eight-year legal battle over contempt of Congress ended with all charges dismissed.