Helen Thomas
Commonly referred to as "The First Lady of the Press,"
former White House Bureau Chief Helen Thomas is a
trailblazer, breaking through barriers for women reporters
while covering every President since John F. Kennedy. For 57
years, Helen also served as White House correspondent for
United Press International. She recently left this post and
joined Hearst Newspapers as a syndicated columnist. Born in Winchester, Kentucky, Helen Thomas was raised in
Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and
later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving
college, Helen served as a copy girl on the old, now defunct
Washington Daily News. In 1943, Ms. Thomas joined United
Press International and the Washington Press Corps. For 12 years, Helen wrote radio news for UPI, her work day
beginning at 5:30am. Eventually she covered the news of the
Federal government, including the FBI and Capitol Hill. In November, 1960, Helen Thomas began covering then
President elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White
House in January, 1961 as a member of the UPI team. It was
during this first White House assignment that Thomas began
closing presidential press conferences with "Thank you, Mr.
President." In September, 1971, Pat Nixon scooped Helen by announcing
her engagement to Associated Press' retiring White House
correspondent, Douglas B. Cornell at a White house party
hosted by then President Nixon in honor of Cornell. Thomas was the only woman print journalist traveling with
then President Nixon to China during his breakthrough trip
in January, 1972. She has the distinction of having traveled
around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford,
Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, during the course of
which she covered every Economic Summit. The World Almanac
has cited her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in
America.
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Series
Books:Watchdogs of Democracy?, June 2006
Hardcover
Changing the Face of Power, October 2005
Hardcover
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