David Nyhan

Diagnoses

Personal

Vocation

American journalist who wrote for the Boston Globe for 32 years covering a wide range of news but concentrating on the political front. He joined the Globe in 1969 covering the state government and retired in June 2001. He served as the newspaper's Bureau Chief in Washington, DC from 1972-74 covering the Nixon impeachment trial. Nyhan covered other big stories as well including the IRA hunger strikes, the death of Bobby Sands, and nearly every political campaign. In 1988 he wrote a biography of Michael Dukakis entitled, "The Duke." Big in stature at 6'4" he was considered larger than life by the journalistic community as well as in local politics. No friend of then-Cardinal Bernard Law, he was outspoken in his disregard. He wrote speeches for local pols and earned a spot as a pall bearer for Tip O'Neill. His influence helped force the resignation of an editor who was not well regarded at the Boston Globe. He was seen as generous to others striving to make a career in journalism and his candor endeared him to many. He and his wife had three children. He died at age 64 in Boston on January 23, 2005 of an apparent heart attack suffered while shoveling snow. Link to Wikipedia biography