Les Whitten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Les Whitten
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|---|---|
| Born |
Leslie Hunter Whitten Jr.
February 21, 1928 |
| Died | December 2, 2017 (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | Lehigh University |
| Occupation |
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| Employer | "Washington Merry-Go-Round" |
| Spouse(s) | Phyllis Webber |
Les Whitten (born February 21, 1928 – died December 2, 2017) was a famous American journalist. He was known for his investigative reporting for the Washington Merry-Go-Round news column. He also wrote many exciting books, including horror and science fiction novels. Plus, he translated French poetry!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Leslie Hunter Whitten, Jr. was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 21, 1928. His dad was an electrical engineer, and his mom taught Latin. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and went to Woodrow Wilson High School.
From a young age, Whitten dreamed of becoming a poet. He started college at Lehigh University studying civil engineering. After a year and a half, he left school and served two years in the U.S. Army. Then, he moved to Paris to focus on his poetry.
When he returned to Lehigh, he changed his major to English and Journalism. He became the main editor of the student newspaper. He graduated with high honors in 1950.
Journalism Career
Early Reporting Work
After college, Whitten moved to Mexico and then back to Paris. He kept trying to become a writer. But to support his new family, he decided to focus on journalism.
In the early 1950s, he joined Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany. This organization broadcast news to countries where people didn't have free access to information. He worked there until 1957. From 1957 to 1969, he worked for news agencies like International News Service and United Press International. He reported on conflicts in places like the Dominican Republic and Vietnam.
Washington Merry-Go-Round Column
By 1969, Les Whitten was an experienced investigative reporter. He had worked for major newspapers like Washington Post and Hearst newspapers. He then joined the Washington Merry-Go-Round column. This column was led by Jack Anderson.
The Washington Merry-Go-Round was famous for uncovering important government secrets. Whitten and his team investigated many big stories. They looked into hidden government actions and the lives of powerful officials.
Reporting on Watergate
During the Watergate scandal, Les Whitten played a key role. Watergate was a huge political scandal in the 1970s. It involved the U.S. President Nixon and his administration. Whitten was known for his strong methods to get information. He would often push his sources to share important details.
"Free Les Whitten" Campaign
In 1973, Whitten was arrested by FBI agents. He was helping Native American activists move government documents. These documents had been taken from the Bureau of Indian Affairs during a protest. Whitten faced serious charges and could have gone to jail for ten years.
Many reporters in Washington wore "Free Les Whitten" buttons to support him. A famous cartoonist, Herblock, even drew a cartoon about his situation. To help Whitten's case, Jack Anderson got secret government memos. These memos showed actions taken against Native Americans. This information would have been very helpful for Whitten's defense if his case went to trial.
The National Suggestion Box
In 1975, Whitten and Anderson started a new project called "The National Suggestion Box". This project allowed the public to suggest topics for investigation. Researchers would then look into these topics. Their findings were shared on TV shows like Good Morning America and other media.
Writing Career
Les Whitten was also a talented writer. He wrote almost a dozen novels. These included exciting political thrillers, scary horror stories, and imaginative science fiction books. He also translated poems by the French poet Charles Baudelaire into English.
In 1976, his book Conflict of Interest became very popular. Because of its success, he decided to leave journalism by 1978. This allowed him to focus full-time on his own writing. One of his horror novels, Moon of the Wolf (1967), was even made into a TV movie in 1972. He also wrote a children's book and a biography of a lawyer.
Personal Life and Death
On November 11, 1951, Les Whitten married Phyllis Webber in Paris. They had three sons together. The Whittens were active in their church and supported the arts, like ballet and opera.
Les Whitten passed away on December 2, 2017, at the age of 89. He died in a hospital in Adelphi, Maryland.
Phyllis Webber
Phyllis Webber was from Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. She studied education and worked with young children in New York City. When she and Les moved to Washington, D.C., in 1959, she continued her work in education. In 1973, she became the director of the Suburban Nursery School in Bethesda, Maryland. She retired in 1993. She received an award for her lifetime of work in early childhood education in 1996. Phyllis passed away on January 11, 2017.
Legacy and Influence
Jack Anderson, his boss at the Washington Merry-Go-Round, once called Whitten "the best reporter in the country." He said Whitten worked on almost every major story for a decade. A New York Times journalist also called him Jack Anderson's "senior ferret", meaning he was very good at digging up information.
The Weekly Standard newspaper praised Whitten for "reinventing Horror and Science Fiction" books. His vampire horror story The Progeny of the Adder (1965) influenced a TV series from the 1970s called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. This show then inspired the popular 1990s TV series The X-Files. Famous horror author Stephen King even included The Progeny of the Adder on his list of must-read horror novels.
Major Works
Fiction Books
- Progeny of the Adder (1965): A story set in Washington, D.C., about a police officer who discovers something unusual.
- Moon of the Wolf (1967): Also known as Death of the Nurse, this book is set in Mississippi in 1938 and features a series of mysterious murders.
- Pinion, the Golden Eagle (1968): This book tells the story of a golden eagle trying to avoid hunters, alongside the progress of laws against eagle hunting in Washington.
- The Alchemist (1973): Two people involved in Washington politics are brought together by their interest in the occult.
- Conflict of Interest (1976): A newspaper reporter uncovers a scandal at the highest levels of the U.S. Senate.
- Sometimes a Hero (1979): A lawyer in Washington, D.C., takes on a powerful oil company.
- A Killing Pace (1983): A thriller about a private detective helping his lawyer friend escape from criminals.
- A Day Without Sunshine (1985): This book is about an English crime boss who tries to control the wine industry.
- The Lost Disciple: the book of Demas (1989): The life of Jesus told from the perspective of a minor Bible character, Demas.
- The Fangs of Morning (1994)
- Moses, The Lost Book of the Bible (1999): A fictional story about the life of the prophet Moses, told by a Greek arms trader.
Biography
- F. Lee Bailey (1971): A book about the life of lawyer F. Lee Bailey.
Poetry
- Washington Cycle (1979): A collection of some of Whitten's own poems.
Translations
- Sad Madrigals (1997): Poems by Baudelaire, translated by Whitten.
- The Rebel (2005): More poems by Baudelaire, translated by Whitten.
Images for kids
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The Watergate scandal was one of the most important news stories that Whitten covered in his career (here, Watergate complex, Washington, D.C.)
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Whitten worked for Radio Free Europe in Munich (here, showing before and after images of bomb damage to Munich's Altstadt during World War II)
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In the 1960s, Whitten worked for Jack Anderson, who took over the Washington Merry-Go-Round from founder Drew Pearson in 1969 (here, Pearson stands left with U.S. President Lyndon Johnson in 1964)
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Whitten translated into English the poems of Charles Baudelaire (here, photo by Étienne Carjat, 1863)
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Whitten's The Progeny of the Adder (1965) appears on Stephen King's list of essential horror novels in his non-fiction book Danse Macabre (here, King in 2007)
