Jack Kennedy; Elusive Hero
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. Second Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. viii, [4], 479, [5] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Inscribed by the author on the title page. Inscription reads To Brendan--Merry Christmas! Chris Matthews. Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American political commentator, former talk show host, and author. Matthews hosted his weeknight hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, on America's Talking and later on MSNBC, from 1997 until March 2, 2020. He announced on his final episode that he was retiring. On that occasion, he stated: "The younger generation's out there ready to take the reins. We see them in politics, in media, in fighting for their causes. They're improving the workplace." Matthews worked as an officer with the United States Capitol Police. Matthews served on the staffs of four Democratic Members of Congress, including Senator Edmund Muskie. Matthews was a presidential speechwriter during the Carter Administration, and later worked for six years as Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill, playing a direct role in many key political battles with the Reagan Administration. Matthews worked in print media for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner (1987–2000) and two years as a syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Matthews covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa, and the Peace Talks in Northern Ireland. His research produced exclusives on the Nixon presidential tapes. Matthews covered presidential election campaigns from 1988 until his retirement in 2020. More