Reporter Jack Germond Dies

John Worthen Germond (January 30, 1928 – August 14, 2013) was an American journalist, author, and pundit. His journalistic career spanned over 50 years; Germond wrote for the Washington Star and The Baltimore Sun. Together with Jules Witcover, Germond co-wrote "Politics Today," a five-day-a-week syndicated column, for more than 24 years.

Early Years
Germond was born in Boston, Massachusetts, an only child, and raised in a middle-class household in Boston and Trenton, New Jersey. When he was 13, his family moved to Mississippi, and then to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Germond finished high school. After attending Louisiana State University for one semester, he served in the U.S. Army in 1946–47, returning to college on the GI bill and then graduating from the University of Missouri with degrees in journalism and history.

Career
He began his career working for Gannett’s Rochester Times-Union in 1961. He moved to the Washington Star in 1974, became a syndicated columnist and national editor, and went on to The Baltimore Sun when the Star folded. He began to appear on Meet the Press in 1972, the Today Show in 1980, and the NBC and PBS program The McLaughlin Group from its inception in 1981.

A fixture on The McLaughlin Group for 15 years before abruptly resigning, he later appeared on CNN, and appeared for a time on the PBS program Inside Washington. In 2011 he wrote several pieces on the 2012 Presidential election for The Daily Beast, an online-only publication.

Personal Life
Germond and his first wife, Barbara Wipple–a fellow student at the University of Missouri–were married shortly after he graduated in 1951. They had two daughters, Mandy and Jessica.

In 1984, Germond met Democratic party operative and political activist Alice Travis. Germond and Barbara subsequently divorced, and Germond married Travis in 1988. She had two children from a prior marriage and is the Secretary Emeritus of the Democratic National Committee.

Germond died at his home on August 14, 2013, aged 85.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Germond

Notes by the blog author
Jack Germond died Tuesday after a long career. He did his own legwork and detail checking. On the air he was witty and factual, giving him a credibility far above that of the average pundit. Some accurate and respectful eulogies for his passing are available at these links:
  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/08/15/germond_as_genuine_and_generous_as_they_come_119610.html
  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/14/legendary-political-reporter-jack-germond-dies/2651559/