William Safire

William Lewis Safire (; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He was a long-time syndicated political columnist for The New York Times and the author of "On Language" in The New York Times Magazine, a column on popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics from its inception. 2Early life Safire was born William Lewis Safir in New York City, New York, the son of Ida (née Panish) and Oliver Craus Safir. His family was Jewish, and originated in Romania on his father's side. Safire later added the "e" to his surname for pronunciation reasons, though some of his relatives continue to use the original spelling. Safire graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, a specialized public high school in New York City. He attended Syracuse University but dropped out after two years. He delivered the commencement address at Syracuse in 1978 and 1990, and became a trustee of the university. 2Career He was a public relations executive from 1955 to 1960. Previously, he had been a radio and television producer and an Army corresponden