Pierre Salinger
JFK's quick-witted press secretary who transformed the role, using television and candor to shape the modern relationship between the White House and the media.
1925–2004 (age 79)·American politician and journalist·Birthday: June 14·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Pierre Salinger was a San Francisco newspaperman who became the face of the Kennedy administration, his round glasses and cigar establishing an image of rumpled, intellectual authority. Recruited from his investigative work at *Collier's* magazine, he helped manage JFK's 1960 campaign and was a natural choice for Press Secretary. Salinger revolutionized the briefing room, moving it to a larger space for television cameras and engaging reporters with a more informal, sometimes theatrical style. His tenure defined the glamour and tension of the Camelot era, culminating in his desperate, correct insistence that the Cuban Missile Crisis photos be publicly released. After Kennedy's assassination, he briefly served as a Senator from California and managed Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 campaign. His later career as an ABC News correspondent and globe-trotting author reflected his lifelong belief in journalism as a vital public service.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Pierre was born in 1925, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Pierre Was Born
The biggest hits of 1925
#1 Movie
The Gold Rush
Pierre's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1925Born
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1930Started school
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1938Became a teenager
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Could drive
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1943Could vote
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Turned 21
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1955Turned 30
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 40
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 50
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 60
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 70
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Died at 79
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
Key Achievements
- Served as White House Press Secretary during the pivotal events of the Kennedy administration, including the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Was instrumental in convincing President Kennedy to allow live television broadcast of presidential press conferences.
- Appointed and served as a U.S. Senator from California for five months in 1964 following a resignation.
- Led the investigation as an ABC News correspondent that located the original missile crisis photographs in 1987.
Did You Know?
He was a talented pianist and briefly pursued a career as a concert pianist before turning to journalism.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as the commander of a submarine chaser in the Pacific.
In the 1990s, he became a vice chairman of Burson-Marsteller, a major global public relations firm.
He was the first major American official to interview Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985.
“The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen.”
