William "Bill" Tuohy (October 1, 1926 – December 31, 2009) was a journalist and author who, for most of his career, was aforeign correspondent for theLos Angeles Times.[1][2]
Tuohy was born on October 1, 1926, inChicago,Illinois, and was brought up in that city. In 1945 he joined theU.S. Navy, and served for two years aboard a submarine rescue vessel,USS Florikan, in thePacific.[3]
In 1947, and after leaving the navy, Tuohy was injured in atrain wreck, and as a result with a pronounced limp for the rest of his life. He returned to Illinois and studiedEnglish at theWeinberg College of Arts and Sciences, graduating fromNorthwestern University in 1951. The following year he went to work at theSan Francisco Chronicle as acopy boy.[2][3]
At theSan Francisco Chronicle, Tuohy gained promotion toreporter and, eventually,editor on the city desk. He joinedNewsweek magazine in 1959, covering the1964 presidential campaign and briefly working as the assistant national editor. Tuohy was appointedNewsweek's foreign correspondent inSaigon in 1965, just as theUnited States was entering theVietnam War. He was there when the United States began bombingNorth Vietnam, and when the first US combat troops came ashore atDa Nang.[3]
In 1966 Tuohy joined theLos Angeles Times as the Saigon Bureau Chief. In 1969 Tuohy won thePulitzer Prize for International Reporting for hisVietnam War correspondence the previous year. Tuohy had a lengthy career as a foreign correspondent. He served asBeirut Bureau Chief from 1968 to 1973,Rome Bureau Chief from 1973 to 1977,London Bureau Chief from 1977 to 1985,Bonn Bureau Chief from 1985 to 1990 and European Security Correspondent from 1990 to 1995. In addition to postings as bureau chief, he covered theFall of Saigon, theFall of the Berlin Wall,The Troubles ofNorthern Ireland, and the firstGulf War.[2][3][4]
In 1979, when fellowLos Angeles Times correspondentJoe Alex Morris Jr. was killed in the early days of theIranian Revolution, Tuohy hired aLearjet and flew intoTehran airport, even though the airport was closed to traffic and occupied by theRevolutionary Guards. After negotiations, he received Morris's body and flew back to the US, returning the body to Morris's family.[3]
In 1989, he published a memoir,Dangerous Company, Inside the World's Hottest Trouble Spots with a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Correspondent.[5][6]
Tuohy retired in 1995.[3]
After retiring, Tuohy wrote two books of naval history.The Bravest Man: The Story of Richard O'Kane and U.S. Submariners in the Pacific War was published in 2001 in the U.K. and 2006 in the U.S.Richard O'Kane was the Executive Officer ofUSS Wahoo duringWorld War II and later received aMedal of Honor for his service in command ofUSS Tang. His second book,America's Fighting Admirals: Winning the War at Sea in World War II was published in 2007. The book told the story of the war from the perspective of Navy Admirals such asMarc Mitscher, the commander of theFast Carrier Task Force andJohn S. McCain, Sr.[3]
Tuohy died December 31, 2009, followingopen-heart surgery inSanta Monica, California.[2]
Tuohy married three times. His first marriage was to Mary Ellen Dufek in 1955, and lasted until 1957 before they were divorced. In 1964 he married Johanna Iselen and had a son, Cyril. He and Johanna were divorced in 1989. He married a third time in 1998, to Rose Marie Wheeler, aFrench citizen born inVietnam.[3]
In addition to thePulitzer Prize for International Reporting, Tuohy won theOverseas Press Club award for his reporting from the Middle East in 1970.[2] He also won the Best Feature Story award in 2003 from Submarine Review.[citation needed]
His last award was, chronologically, being the last notable person to die in 2009.[citation needed]
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