Walter Shapiro, a canny, penetrating and often contrarian political columnist whose career included stints as a presidential speechwriter, stand-up comic, professor, author and, as a college student, congressional candidate, died on Sunday in Manhattan.
The cause of his death, in a hospital, was an infection related to his recent treatment for cancer, his wife, the journalist and author Meryl Gordon, said.
The next year, at 16, he took his first airplane flight to attend President John F. Kennedy’s funeral.
He began his career in journalism at Congressional Quarterly and went on to write for Washington Monthly, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, USA Today, The New Republic and Esquire.
He later wrote for Salon, Yahoo News, Politics Daily and Roll Call.
Persons:
Walter Shapiro, Meryl Gordon, Theodore H ., John F
Organizations:
Congressional Quarterly, Washington Monthly, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, The New, Esquire, Salon, Yahoo, Politics
Locations:
Manhattan, Norwalk, Conn, USA