Ronald Louis "Ron" Ziegler (May 12, 1939 – February 10, 2003) was White House Press Secretary and Assistant to the President during United States President Richard Nixon's administration.
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Early life
Ziegler was born to Louis Daniel Ziegler, a production manager, and Ruby Parsons, in Covington, Kentucky. He was raised Presbyterian[1].
Studies
He graduated from Dixie Heights High School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Ziegler first attended college in Cincinnati. He transferred to the University of Southern California in 1958 and graduated in 1961 with a degree in government and politics.
Work
He worked at Disneyland as a skipper on the popular Adventureland attraction, The Jungle Cruise. He later worked as a press aide on Nixon's unsuccessful California gubernatorial campaign in 1962. Subsequently Ziegler worked with H. R. Haldeman, who later served as President Nixon's White House Chief of Staff, at advertising firm J. Walter Thompson. [2]
White House appointments from 1969
In 1969, when he was just 29, Ziegler became the youngest White House Press Secretary in history. Historically, White House Press Secretaries were recruited from the ranks of individuals with substantial journalistic experience; among these were Stephen Early and Pierre Salinger.
He was the White House press secretary for the Nixon administration during the political scandal known as Watergate. In 1972, he dismissed the first report of the break-in at the Watergate Hotel as the discussion of a "third rate burglary," but within two years Nixon had resigned under threat of impeachment.
Some of Ziegler's public statements from this period reflect an ostensible commitment to democratic civics which in hindsight was not borne out by the facts. For example, in 1970 CIA security adviser Dan Mitrione, whose later reputation as the promoter of over-rigorous interview techniques became substantiated, was assassinated in Uruguay. It fell to Ziegler to give to reporters a eulogy which in hindsight seemed generously optimistic [3].
In 1974 he became Assistant to the President.
Strong personal identification with President Nixon
Particularly in the period following the resignations of such senior administration officials as Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, Ziegler became one of Nixon's closest aides and confidants, defending the President until the bitter end, urging Nixon not to resign, but rather fight impeachment in the Senate.
During the unfolding political scandal, Ziegler himself appeared at least 33 times before Congress.
Post-Watergate
Continuing closeness to Nixon
Unlike many other former aides after President Nixon's resignation in 1974, Ziegler remained very close to him. Ziegler was on the airplane that Mr. Nixon took to San Clemente as Gerald Ford was sworn into office.
On November 12, 1999, Ziegler was due to participate by telephone in a television panel discussion that included several former Nixon and Ford aides, including his successor as White House Press Secretary, Jerald terHorst, who resigned in protest at President Ford's pardon of Nixon. However, Ziegler's feed failed to hook up for the session, which went on without him. [See: Jerald terHorst#Reflections .]
Truck Stop and Chain Store advocacy
In 1988, Ziegler became president and chief executive of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, living in Alexandria, Va. He was previously known as President of the National Association of Truck Stop Operators [4]. He was described by leading truck stop advocate William Fay as 'a significant factor in expanding the travel plaza and truckstop industry's presence in the nation's capital'. Hay further credited Ziegler as having achieved 'great strides in membership recruitment and expansion of member services' [5].
Death
He moved to Coronado Shores (Coronado, Ca.) where he died of a heart attack at age 63.
Legacies: public face of Nixon Administration's mendaciousness & promoter of free enterprise
Ziegler in his post-White House life may be said to have successfully moved on in his business career away from the aspects of the Nixon Administration most open to criticism. He was for many years an advocate for free enterprise, especially truck stops.
But particularly in regard of numerous quotes from him while Press Secretary, he is often remembered as the public face of the known Nixonian mendaciousness which he would attempt to dismiss as being merely 'inoperative'.
Notable quotes
- "Certain elements may try to stretch the Watergate burglary beyond what it is." –1972, referring to Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
- "This is the operative statement. The others are inoperative." –April 17 1973, retracting previous statements that had been revealed to be false.
- "I would apologize to the Post, and I would apologize to Mr. Woodward and Mr. Bernstein." He continued, "We would all have to say that mistakes were made in terms of comments. I was overenthusiastic in my comments about the Post, particularly if you look at them in the context of developments that have taken place." May 1, 1973; the previous day, White House counsel John Dean and Nixon aides John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman had resigned, as the Watergate scandal progressed.[6]
- "If my answers sound confusing, I think they are confusing because the questions are confusing and the situation is confusing."
- "Thank goodness, I was one of the few members of the Nixon White House staff who was never indicted and I was not part of the cover-up." — on Larry King Live, alluding to the 11 convictions and numerous indictments in the scandal. [6]
- "I was the only one on that plane to San Clemente with Nixon when power changed hands. I was there with Nixon in exile. I will publish a good book someday." –1981.
- "I'm proud of what I did as press secretary, I don't feel the need to apologize; there are some things, however, I would have done differently" –1981. [7]
- "The president is aware of what is going on in Southeast Asia. That is not to say that there is anything going on in Southeast Asia." –1971, answering a question if the allied troops were preparing to invade Laos. [7]
- "Devoted service to the cause of peaceful progress in an orderly world (which) will remain as an example for free men everywhere" [8] - 1970, in reference to the career of CIA security adviser Dan Mitrione, killed in Uruguay, whose promotion of excessively severe interview methods later became substantiated.
Notes
- ^ Ron Ziegler
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ CBS News, Feb. 10, 2003 "Watergate Press Secretary Dead At 63"
- ^ Todd S. Purdum, "The Nondenial Denier," New York Times, February 16, 2003
- ^ [5]
See also
External links
- Former NACDS President & CEO Ronald L. Ziegler Dies
- Ron Ziegler's Obituary with summary of his years with Nixon
- Ron Ziegler, former Nixon press secretary, dies in Coronado
- Washington Post editorial, June 21, 1972, published soon after the burglary.
- Watergate 'Spin Doctor' Dies, BBC News.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by George Christian |
White House Press Secretary 1969–1974 |
Succeeded by Jerald terHorst |
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