Noonan, Peggy (1950–)

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Noonan, Peggy (1950–)

American journalist, nonfiction writer and speechwriter. Born Sept 7, 1950, in Brooklyn, NY; dau. of James (furniture salesman) and Mary Jane (Byrne) Noonan; Fairleigh Dickinson University, BA, 1974; m. Richard Rahn (economist), 1985 (div. 1990); children: Will.

Began career as a producer for CBS News in NY, where she wrote and produced Dan Rather's daily radio commentary; was special assistant to President Ronald Reagan (1984–86) and chief speechwriter for George Bush when he ran for the presidency (1988); became a columnist for Wall Street Journal; wrote What I Saw at the Revolution (1990), Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (1994), The Case Against Hillary Clinton (2000) and When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan (2001); served as advisor to tv series "The West Wing."