The Resume

(November 3, 1909-December 6, 1995)
Born in Clydebank, Scotland, United Kingdom
Reporter for the New York Times (1939-43,1945-87)
Served at the Times as associate editor (1964-68), executive editor (1969-69) and vice-president (1969-74)
Wrote a nationally syndicated column (1974-87)
Wrote the books 'Prelude to Victory' (1942), 'The Artillery of the Press' (1967), 'Sketches in the Sand' (1967) and 'Deadline' (1991)
Won two Pulitzer Prizes (1945,1957)
Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1986)

Why he might be annoying:

He was a procrastinator who often filed his stories just before the deadline.
Many of the papers on his desk had scorch marks from discarded matches for his perpetually-lit pipe.
His initial story about Chappaquiddick opened with, 'Tragedy has again struck the Kennedy family,' prompting editor A.M. Rosenthal to reply in disgust, 'This story isn't about the Kennedy family. It's about this girl.'
He sucked up to Henry Kissinger to the point that he volunteered to ask another Times reporter to tone down his anti-Kissinger columns and offered to plant questions for Kissinger during a press conference.
He killed a story by a Times reporter about the upcoming Christmas bombing of Hanoi when Kissinger insisted the story was untrue (1972).
After the bombing did occur, he wrote that Kissinger 'undoubtedly oppose[d]' it, when Kissinger was actually one of the main backers of the plan.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was married to Sally Fulton for 60 years until his death.
He left the Times temporarily during WWII to set up the Office of War Information's London office.
A biographer described his writing as 'luminous, full of clever images, yet relaxed, even casual.'
The Washington Post commented, 'Mr. Reston's work was top reading for top government officials.'
As an illustration of his status as Washington's ultimate insider, he interviewed John F. Kennedy about a contentious meeting with Nikita Khruschev before the President briefed any of his aides.
He wrote, 'Stick with the optimists... It's going to be tough enough even if they're right.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 39]
• I Attended University of Illinois [Urbana, Champaign]
• I Died in 1995 (Ranked: 86)
• I Had My Appendix Removed
• I Named My Kid After Myself
• Look at Me, I'm with Dwight Eisenhower
• Look at Me, I'm with FDR
• Look at Me, I'm with George H.W. Bush
• Look at Me, I'm with Harry S. Truman
• Look at Me, I'm with John F. Kennedy
• Look at Me, I'm with LBJ
• Look at Me, I'm with Richard Nixon
• Look at Me, I'm with Ronald Reagan
• Look at My Book Cover
• Male Pipe Smokers
• Newspaper Journalists/Editors/Publishers
• Nixon's Enemies List
• Profiles 32001-32250 (Ranked: 32228)
• U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 69 Votes: 43.48% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 64.29% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 56.25% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying