Ron Nessen was a journalist best known for serving as press secretary for President Gerald Ford in the years immediately following the Watergate scandal, when American trust in government institutions was at a low point.
- Died: March 12, 2025 (Who else died on March 12?)
- Details of death: Died in Bethesda, Maryland at the age of 90.
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Ron Nessen’s legacy
Nessen was a wire service contributor and NBC News correspondent when he was tapped for a high-profile job at a crucial time in American politics. He was asked to serve as White House press secretary following the collapse of the Watergate scandal-tainted administration of President Richard Nixon. When Gerald Ford stepped into the Oval Office to pick up the pieces, he chose Nessen to serve as his liaison to the media.
He wasn’t Ford’s first choice – J.F. terHorst resigned after just one month after disagreeing with Ford’s decision to pardon Nixon – but he ended up staying in the role through the president’s whole term. Nessen is also known for being the first political figure to host “Saturday Night Live,” an April 1976 appearance that helped further the idea that politicians should be able to laugh at themselves.
Before sparring with his former colleagues at White House press briefings, Nessen was putting himself in danger as a war correspondent during the Vietnam War, at one point bloodied by grenade shrapnel during a skirmish. He had been with NBC since 1962, covering the Apollo space missions, world news, American politics, and more.
He went back to journalism after leaving the White House, serving as vice president for news at Mutual Broadcasting, working as journalist in residence at the Brookings Institution and holding executive positions at the public relations firm Marston & Rothenberg, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, and more. For seven years, he served on the Peabody Awards’ board of jurors, then became its chair.
Nessen penned several books, most notably his 1978 look back at his time as press secretary, “It Sure Looks Different on the Inside,” and his 2011 memoir, “Making the News, Taking the News: From NBC to the Ford White House.” He also wrote fiction, penning several murder mysteries and political thrillers with his former wife, author Johanna Neuman.
Notable quote
“I will never knowingly lie to you, never knowingly mislead the White House press corps. If I do, you’d be justified in questioning my usefulness in this job.” — statement to the media when taking the press secretary job in 1974
Tributes to Ron Nessen
Full obituary: The New York Times
