McGRORY, Mary 1918-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born August 22, 1918, in Boston, MA; died April 21, 2004, in Washington, DC. Journalist and author. McGrory, a longtime columnist for the Washington Star and Washington Post newspapers, was a Pulitzer Prize winner best known for her commentary on American politics. After graduating from Emmanuel College in 1939, she started her career as a photo cropper for the publishing house Houghton Mifflin in Boston. Hired by the Boston Herald Traveler in 1942 as a secretary, she later became a book reviewer editor. This led, in 1947, to a position as a book reviewer for the Washington Star in 1947, and she was eventually given the chance to add feature articles to her schedule. McGrory's first big break came in 1954, when her editor assigned her to cover the McCarthy hearings in which Senator Joseph McCarthy was attempting to ferret out Communists from within the military's ranks. McGrory's column revealed how the senator's belligerent accusations were completely baseless. Her success with these articles led to a full-time position as a feature writer for the Washington Star, which she maintained until the newspaper folded in 1981. During this time, she covered many important stories, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—about which she wrote in her In Memorium: John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1963)—and the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard M. Nixon's resignation; her writings about the latter earned her the Pulitzer in 1975. Earlier, in 1962, she had also earned a George Polk Memorial Award for her coverage of Nixon's "farewell" press conference. After the Washington Star folded, McGrory was hired by the Washington Post, where she worked until her 2003 retirement. Her column became nationally syndicated, appearing in 150 newspapers. An unabashed liberal, McGrory most recently wrote articles that lambasted President George W. Bush for his policies, and his reticence to defend his positions in front of the press. More recent awards presented to McGrory include the Fourth Estate Award from the National Press Club in 1998 and, the 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the Courage in Journalism Awards in New York City.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, April 23, 2004, section 3, p. 11.

Independent (London, England), April 23, 2004, p. 34.

Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2004, p. B10.

New York Times, April 23, 2004, p. A21.

Times (London, England), June 14, 2004, p. 25.