Jody Powell
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| Jody Powell | |
 Press Secretary Jody Powell and President Jimmy Carter, February 10, 1977. |
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| In office 1977 – 1981 |
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| President | Jimmy Carter |
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| Born | September 30, 1943 Cordele, Georgia |
| Died | September 14, 2009 (aged 65) Cambridge, Maryland[1] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nan Sue Jared |
| Children | Emily Boddy |
| Alma mater | Georgia State University Emory University |
Joseph Lester "Jody" Powell, Jr. (September 30, 1943 – September 14, 2009) was the White House Press Secretary during the presidency of Jimmy Carter.
[edit] Life and career
Born in Cordele, Georgia, Powell grew up in the nearby town of Vienna. He attended the United States Air Force Academy, but did not graduate because he was expelled from the Academy during his senior year for cheating.[2] He then attended Georgia State University and later received a Masters in Political Science from Emory University. He married Nan Sue Jared in 1966. While at Emory, he had sent a paper of his on Southern Populism to Jimmy Carter in 1968 and ended up working for the future president.
During Carter's run for the governorship of Georgia, Powell became his driver and served as an aide and advisor. After Carter's election, Powell served as press secretary. He worked on Carter's presidential campaign in 1976 and became a member of the "Georgia Mafia", a group of close aides from Georgia who moved to high positions in Carter's administration. Powell served as White House Press Secretary, a position he held between 1977 and 1981. During this time, it was Powell who mentioned the "Jimmy Carter and the killer rabbit" story to the Associated Press. In total, Powell served as Carter's press secretary for ten years, during his governorship, presidential campaign, presidential transition, and his presidency. Powell and fellow aide Hamilton Jordan appeared on the cover of Time Magazine on June 6, 1977, albeit in caricature.[3][4]
After leaving the White House, Powell lent his distinctive deep, drawling voice to two documentaries, Baseball and The Civil War. In 1985, he published his memoirs, entitled The Other Side of the Story. He was a member of the Board of Advisors for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and co-founded Powell Tate, a public relations firm in Washington, DC, where he served as CEO.[3]
Powell died on September 14, 2009 at his home on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, apparently from a heart attack.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Patti, John: [1] Associated Press, September 14, 2009, "Jody Powell Dead At Maryland Home"
- ^ "Carter's Mouth". TIME. 1976-08-02. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914453,00.html?iid=chix-sphere. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ a b [[2]] Associated Press, September 15, 2009, "Jody Powell dies at his Cambridge-area home"
- ^ [3] Time Magazine, June 6, 1997, Cover "The President's Boys"
- ^ Tapper, Jake (2009-09-14). "RIP, Jody Powell". ABC News. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/rip-jody-powell.html. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Ronald H. Nessen |
White House Press Secretary 1977 – 1981 |
Succeeded by James Brady |
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