Alexander Cockburn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexander Cockburn
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Cockburn in San Francisco in December 2007
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| Born |
Alexander Claud Cockburn
6 June 1941 Scotland
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| Died | 21 July 2012 (aged 71) Bad Salzhausen, Germany
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| Citizenship | American, Irish |
| Occupation | Journalist, author |
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Notable credit(s)
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CounterPunch, The Nation, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times |
| Spouse(s) | Emma Tennant (m. 1968; div. 1973) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Claud Cockburn Patricia Cockburn |
Alexander Claud Cockburn (born June 6, 1941 – died July 21, 2012) was a journalist and writer. He was born in Scotland and grew up in Ireland. Later, he moved to the United States in 1972 and lived there for the rest of his life. Alexander Cockburn was known for his political writing. He helped edit a newsletter called CounterPunch. He also wrote a popular column called "Beat the Devil" for The Nation magazine.
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Early Life and Family Background
Alexander Cockburn was born on June 6, 1941, in Scotland. He spent his childhood in Youghal, a town in County Cork, Ireland. His father, Claud Cockburn, was also a journalist and author. His mother was Patricia Byron.
Alexander had two younger brothers, Andrew Cockburn and Patrick. Both of his brothers also became journalists. His family included other writers and journalists too. For example, his half-sister Sarah Caudwell was a mystery writer. His nieces, Laura Flanders and Stephanie Flanders, are also journalists. The actress Olivia Wilde is his niece, the daughter of his brother Andrew.
Alexander went to Glenalmond College, a boarding school in Scotland. He later studied English at Keble College at the University of Oxford.
Journalism Career
Alexander Cockburn started his journalism career in the United Kingdom. After graduating from Oxford in 1963, he worked for the New Left Review. He became its managing editor in 1966. He also worked as an assistant editor at the Times Literary Supplement. In 1967, he worked at New Statesman.
Moving to the United States
In 1972, Cockburn moved to the United States. He lived there for the rest of his life. He wrote for many well-known magazines. These included The New York Review of Books, Esquire, and Harper's.
From 1973 to 1983, he wrote for The Village Voice. He started a long-running column there called "Press Clips." He also wrote a book about chess called Idle Passion: Chess and the Dance of Death in 1975. In 1979, he co-wrote Political Ecology with James Ridgeway.
In 1984, Cockburn began writing a regular column for The Nation. This column was called "Beat the Devil." The name came from a novel written by his father. During the 1980s, he also wrote for other newspapers and magazines. These included the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Writing Books and CounterPunch
In 1987, Cockburn published Corruptions of Empire. This book was a collection of his columns and essays. The cover showed an image of his ancestor, Admiral George Cockburn, burning the White House. He wrote other books too, like The Golden Age Is In Us (1995).
In the 1990s, Cockburn became a writer and later a co-editor for the newsletter CounterPunch. He became a United States citizen in 2009. He lived in New York City for many years. Later, in 1992, he moved to Petrolia in northern California.
Political Views and Activities
Alexander Cockburn was known for his strong political opinions. He often wrote about important world events.
Anti-War Stance
Cockburn often spoke out against wars. In 1980, he criticized how the US media covered the Soviet–Afghan War. He also wrote articles that were critical of the United States military. This included their actions in incidents like the 1988 missile strike on Iran Air Flight 655.
He also spoke against economic rules placed on the Iraqi government by the United Nations. After the 9/11 attacks, he criticized the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. He also opposed the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Views on Conspiracy Theories
Cockburn did not support 9/11 conspiracy theories. He believed that believing in these ideas showed a decline in certain political movements. He also criticized conspiracy theories about the 1963 assassination of US president Kennedy.
Supporting Rights
Cockburn strongly supported free speech. He believed it was most important when it was risky to speak out. He also wrote about the First Amendment, which protects free speech in the US.
He also discussed the Second Amendment, which gives people the right to own guns. He believed people should have the right to bear arms. After the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, he wrote that America would not get rid of the Second Amendment.
Social Issues
Cockburn wrote about many social topics. He was against "scaremongering" about illegal immigration to the United States. He also wrote about anti-Semitism and how accusations of anti-Semitism were used in politics. He supported the Occupy Wall Street movement. He also wrote about same-sex marriage and Scientology.
Personal Life and Passing
In December 1968, Alexander Cockburn married writer Emma Tennant. Their daughter, Daisy Alice Cockburn, was born in February 1969. Cockburn and Tennant divorced in 1973.
Alexander Cockburn passed away on July 21, 2012. He was 71 years old. He died in Bad Salzhausen, Germany, after battling cancer for two years. His colleague, Jeffrey St. Clair, wrote that Cockburn wanted to live his life fully until the very end.
