Adam Clymer facts for kids

Adam Clymer (born April 27, 1937 – died September 10, 2018) was an American journalist. He was well-known for his work as a political reporter for The New York Times.

Adam Clymer's Journalism Career

Adam Clymer started his journalism career writing for his school newspaper. He even collected sports scores for The New York Times when he was in high school. After college, he worked for several newspapers, including The Virginian-Pilot and The Baltimore Sun.

Working at The New York Times

Clymer joined The New York Times in 1977 and stayed there until 2003. He was a very important reporter, especially when it came to politics.

Covering Elections

He was the national political correspondent for the 1980 presidential election. This meant he reported on everything happening with the candidates and their campaigns.

From 1983 to 1990, he was the polling editor. In this role, he worked with CBS News to understand what people thought about political issues and candidates. He also helped cover George H. W. Bush's presidential campaign in 1988. Later, from 1999 to 2003, he was the chief Washington correspondent, reporting from the nation's capital.

The 2000 Election Incident

Clymer covered the 2000 presidential election for the Times. During this time, an interesting event happened. On September 4, 2000, George W. Bush and his running mate, Dick Cheney, were at a campaign event. Bush thought he was speaking privately to Cheney about Clymer, saying something critical. However, their words were picked up by a live microphone.

This caused a small stir during the campaign. Bush later said he regretted that his private comment was heard by everyone, but he didn't take back what he said. Clymer, for his part, noted that Bush later sent him a kind letter when his mother passed away.

Books and Later Work

Clymer also wrote books. In 1981, he helped write Reagan: The Man, the President. In 1999, he wrote a biography about Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

After leaving The New York Times in 2004, Clymer became a visiting scholar at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. There, he worked as the Political Director for the National Annenberg Election Survey, continuing his work on understanding public opinion in politics.

Adam Clymer's Personal Life

Adam Clymer was born in New York City. His mother, Eleanor Clymer, was a children's book author. He went to The Walden School and then Harvard College. He also studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Clymer was married to Ann Wood Fessenden from 1961 until her death in 2013. They had one daughter, Jane Emily Clymer. Sadly, Jane passed away at the age of 18 in a car accident in 1985. To honor her memory, the Clymers set up a special scholarship at the University of Vermont. This scholarship has helped many young women attend the university.

Adam Clymer passed away on September 10, 2018, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 81.

Awards

Adam Clymer received several awards for his excellent journalism:

• Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress, 1993
• The Washington Monthly's Monthly Journalism Award, 2003, for his article about government openness
• Carey McWilliams Award, 2003, for his important contributions to understanding politics through journalism