Jeff Shesol | |
|---|---|
| Presidential Speechwriter | |
| In office 1998–2001 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 6, 1969 (1969-08-06) |
| Education | Brown University, B.A. 1991 Oxford University, M.A. 1993 |
| Occupation | Author, cartoonist, historian, speechwriter |
| Awards | Rhodes Scholar |
Jeffrey Allen Shesol (born August 6, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, US)[1] is an Americanhistorian,speechwriter, and comic strip author. He served as a speechwriter for PresidentBill Clinton and is now a partner at West Wing Writers, a speechwriting and strategy firm inWashington, D.C.[2]
As aWhite House speechwriter from 1998 to 2001, Shesol took a lead role on twoState of the Union Addresses, the President's2000 Democratic National Convention speech, and the Farewell Address. His hundreds of other speeches covered a range of issues, including economic policy, global health, the federal budget, and the arts. Shesol also helped produce the noted mockumentary "The Final Days" for Clinton's appearance at the 2000White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
From 1994 to 1998, Shesol wrote the nationally syndicated political-satirical comic strip"Thatch". In 1997, he published his first book,Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud That Defined a Decade, about the rivalry betweenLyndon Johnson andBobby Kennedy. In 2010, Shesol published his second book,Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court, about PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt'scourt-packing plan.[2]
In 2002, Shesol was the Anschutz Distinguished Fellow in American Studies atPrinceton University, teaching a course on the history of the presidential speech. He has written essays and articles in his own name for publications includingThe New York Times,The Washington Post, andPolitico. He also offers regular commentary on television and radio.
Shesol graduated fromBrown University in 1991 before earning his masters in history fromOxford University as aRhodes Scholar. He lives inWashington, D.C., with his wife and children.[3]
