Famous 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, as did Pat Buchanan; 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.
Jason DeSanto teaches courses in speechwriting at Northwestern University, having served for more than a decade as a political speechwriter, debate strategist and communications adviser. He has written for United States Senators, members of Congress, and the Democratic National Committee. Most recently, he was a senior adviser and chief speechwriter for Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. David Frum, the son of the late Barbara Frum, one of Canada's best and brightest broadcasters, worked as speechwriter in the George Bush Jr. Administration. David Frum is credited with the now famous phrase, "the axis of evil".