Speechwriter

A speechwriter is a person who composes speeches that will be delivered by another person. Though speechwriters are utilized in the private sector, generally by company presidents and executive officers, the occupation is more synonymous with the political arena. Many senior-level publicly-elected officials -- primarily Cabinet secretaries, agency heads, U.S. House and U.S. Senate leaders, and governors -- have one or more speechwriters on their staffs.

The best speechwriters are generalists -- adept at researching, understanding, and summarizing a broad range of topics -- and then transforming those summaries into clear and compelling statements for their principals. The ability to accept anonymity, with few exceptions (see below) is considered a necessary quality among speechwriters.

Some famous speechwriters include: Theodore "Ted" Sorenson, who wrote speeches for John F. Kennedy; Richard Goodwin, who wrote speeches for Lyndon B. Johnson; William Safire and Ben Stein, who wrote for Richard Nixon; Peggy Noonan, speechwriter for the Reagan administration; and Judson T. Welliver, who wrote for Calvin Coolidge. Welliver is considered the first official presidential speechwriter. Alexander Hamilton is thought by some to have written speeches for George Washington.

Former Wall Street Journal editorial writer William McGurn replaced Michael Gerson recently as chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush.

Some fictional speechwriters include: James Hobert, speechwriter for the fictional Mayor of New York City Randall Winston on Spin City. Toby Ziegler, Sam Seaborn and later on, Will Bailey all wrote for the Bartlet Administration on the West Wing.

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