Sally Quinn

Last updated

Sally Quinn
Sally Quinn.jpg
Quinn in 2011
Born (1941-07-01) July 1, 1941 (age 83)
Alma mater Smith College
Occupation(s)Author, journalist
Spouse
(m. 1978;died 2014)
Children Quinn Bradlee
Parent(s) William Wilson Quinn
Sara Bette Williams

Sally Sterling Quinn (born July 1, 1941) is an American author and journalist. She writes about religion for a blog at The Washington Post .

Contents

Early life

Sally Quinn was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Lt. General William Wilson "Buffalo Bill" Quinn (November 1, 1907 – September 11, 2000) and Sara Bette Williams (January 27, 1918 – September 26, 2004). [1] Both are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Quinn has two siblings—Donna of Oakland, California, and William Jr. of Phoenix, Arizona.[ citation needed ]

Her father was an infantry officer who also served as an intelligence officer and played a key role in the transition of the United States intelligence service from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As a US Army colonel in World War II, he helped coordinate the invasion of southern France in 1944 and captured Hermann Göring. Though he was not present, his regiment liberated Dachau concentration camp; he arrived the next day when he heard the news. From 1964 to 1966, he commanded the Seventh Army in Germany. Quinn wrote about his career in an autobiography, Buffalo Bill Remembers. [1]

For many years, the Quinns lived on Connecticut Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C., where Bette Quinn was known for cooking and entertaining. Sally Quinn reported in CC Goldwater's HBO film Mr. Conservative that Senator Barry Goldwater spent much time with the Quinns, often staying at their home since his wife decided to remain in Arizona rather than D.C. while Congress was in session.

Quinn attended and graduated from Smith College in 1963.

Career

Newspaper journalism

Quinn began at The Washington Post with minimal experience: reportedly called by Ben Bradlee after a report of her pajama party in celebration of the election to Congress of Barry Goldwater Jr. The job interview included the following exchange.

"Can you show me something you've written?" asked Managing Editor Benjamin Bradlee. "I've never written anything," admitted Quinn. Pause. "Well," said Bradlee, "nobody's perfect." [2] (A profile in Vanity Fair attributes the "Nobody's perfect" line to editorial-page editor Philip L. Geyelin. [3] )

However, as a reporter for the paper's style section, Quinn soon demonstrated a talent for drawing out the subjects of her interviews and profiles. Henry Kissinger said, "[The Post reporter] Maxine Cheshire makes you want to commit murder. Sally Quinn makes you want to commit suicide."[ This quote needs a citation ] A notable incident of her career was her claim that Zbigniew Brzezinski, then the National Security Advisor, jokingly opened his fly in front of a reporter, a claim The Post retracted the following day. [4]

Quinn was critical of President Bill Clinton during the impeachment trial, stating that he had "fouled the nest". [5] Quinn had a long-standing animosity[ citation needed ] for the Clintons, possibly due to a perceived snub by First Lady Hillary Clinton, who declined a party invitation from Quinn. [6] Regarding Whitewater Independent Counsel Ken Starr, Quinn wrote: [5] "Similarly, independent counsel Ken Starr is not seen by many Washington insiders as an out-of-control prudish crusader. Starr is a Washington insider, too. He has lived and worked here for years. He had a reputation as a fair and honest judge. He has many friends in both parties. Their wives are friendly with one another and their children go to the same schools." [7] Harry Jaffe wrote in Salon that Quinn's condemnation of Bill Clinton's adultery rang hollow coming from someone who broke up the marriage of her boss Ben Bradlee before going on to marry Bradlee herself. [6]

On February 19, 2010, The Washington Post published "Sally Quinn's The Party: No 'dueling' Bradlee weddings, just scheduling mistake", [8] in print and online. The column alluded to Bradlee's family dysfunction and discussed her son's wedding, which Quinn scheduled on the same day as the wedding of her husband's granddaughter. The column was considered inappropriate, and reader backlash was immediate, criticizing Quinn for airing family laundry and Washington Post editors for printing it. By February 24, the Post canceled her column, which had been appearing in the religion section of the print edition. [9] [10] This was Quinn's last column for the printed newspaper.

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Q&A interview with Quinn on the "OnFaith" blog, September 28, 2014, C-SPAN

Quinn continued to write for the Post's OnFaith blog, at least through 2015. Quinn remains listed as a contributor. [11]

Television journalism

In August 1973, Quinn joined CBS News reporter Hughes Rudd as co-anchor of the CBS Morning News . [12] Ninety minutes before her television debut on August 6, 1973, Quinn collapsed while trying to fight the flu. Quinn's ad-libs during the show's first week were deemed inappropriate—in one episode, following a report on the children of California migrant farm workers, she quipped about child labor being nothing more "vexing" than having to clean her room for 30 minutes as a child. [13] Quinn left the CBS Morning News after the February 1, 1974, telecast. Quinn chronicled her short television career in the book We're Going to Make You a Star . [14]

Personal life

Grey Gardens, in January 2009 Grey Gardens (2009).jpg
Grey Gardens, in January 2009

Quinn was the third wife of Ben Bradlee, her former boss at The Washington Post until he died in 2014. They married on October 20, 1978. In 1979, Quinn and Bradlee purchased Grey Gardens in East Hampton, New York from Edith Bouvier Beale, known as "Little Edie," for $220,000 (equivalent to $924,000in 2023) under the terms they were not to tear down the house. [15] Little Edie told them "All it needs is a coat of paint!" The couple then spent several years remodeling the home and fully restoring it. [16] In February 2017, Quinn put Grey Gardens on the market [17] and sold it for $15.5 million on December 20, 2017. [18]

Quinn and Bradlee had one child, Quinn Bradlee, born in 1982. Their son was born when Quinn was 41 and Bradlee was 61. In 2009, they appeared with Quinn on the Charlie Rose show on PBS and spoke of Quinn being born with velo-cardio-facial syndrome, also known as 22q11.2 deletion and Shprintzen syndrome (named after Dr. Robert Shprintzen who first identified the disorder in 1978 and who also diagnosed Bradlee). Quinn wrote of her son's learning disabilities and attendance at special schools in a 2006 blog article, "What My Son Taught Me About God." [19]

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Presentation by Quinn on Finding Magic, October 10, 2017, C-SPAN

In 2017, Quinn published a book entitled Finding Magic in which she described herself as a Christian who also believes in the occult and the power of magic. Quinn recalled growing up in a family of Scottish origin which practiced voodoo. Quinn remembered her mother putting hexes on two people who later died. Quinn further described performing hex magic herself on three people, two of whom died shortly after. [20] [21]

Other

In addition to her newspaper and television journalism, Quinn served as social secretary for Cherif Guellal. [22]

Quinn had a cameo role in Born Yesterday , the 1993 remake of the 1950 romantic comedy. Quinn was the subject of six portraits made by American artist Andy Warhol. She was known as a famous hostess in the 1970s and 1980s, which was commented on in the play The City of Conversation. [23]

Books

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Booknotes interview with Quinn on The Party: A Guide to Adventurous Entertaining, December 28, 1997, C-SPAN

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Lewinsky</span> American activist and writer (born 1973)

Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American activist. Lewinsky became internationally known in the late 1990s after U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an affair with her during her days as a White House intern between 1995 and 1997. The affair and its repercussions became known as the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.

<i>Practical Magic</i> 1998 film by Griffin Dunne

Practical Magic is a 1998 American romantic fantasy film based on the 1995 novel Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. The film was directed by Griffin Dunne and stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Aidan Quinn, and Goran Višnjić.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton–Lewinsky scandal</span> 1998 American political sex scandal

The Clinton–Lewinsky scandal was a sex scandal involving Bill Clinton, the president of the United States, and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. Their sexual relationship began in 1995—when Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was 22 years old—and lasted 18 months, ending in 1997. Clinton ended televised remarks on January 26, 1998, with the later infamous statement: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Further investigation led to charges of perjury and to the impeachment of Clinton in 1998 by the U.S. House of Representatives. He was subsequently acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in a 21-day U.S. Senate trial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Clinton</span> American writer (born 1980)

Chelsea Victoria Clinton is an American writer. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Bradlee</span> Executive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991

Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee was an American journalist who served as managing editor and later as executive editor of The Washington Post, from 1965 to 1991. He became a public figure when the Post joined The New York Times in publishing the Pentagon Papers and gave the go-ahead for the paper's extensive coverage of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. He was also criticized for editorial lapses when the Post had to return a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 after it discovered that its award-winning story was false.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Schorr</span> American journalist

Daniel Louis Schorr was an American journalist who covered world news for more than 60 years. He was most recently a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio (NPR). Schorr won three Emmy Awards for his television journalism.

"Vast right-wing conspiracy" is a phrase popularized by a 1995 memo by political opposition researcher Chris Lehane and then referenced in 1998 by the then First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton, in defense of her husband, President Bill Clinton, characterizing the continued allegations of scandal against her and her husband, including the Lewinsky scandal, as part of a conspiracy by Clinton's political enemies. The term has been used since, including in a question posed to Bill Clinton in 2009 to describe verbal attacks on Barack Obama during his early presidency. Hillary Clinton mentioned it again during her 2016 presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas von Hoffman</span> Journalist

Nicholas von Hoffman was an American journalist and author. He first worked as a community organizer for Saul Alinsky in Chicago for ten years from 1953 to 1963. Later, Von Hoffman wrote for The Washington Post, and most notably, was a commentator on the CBS Point-Counterpoint segment for 60 Minutes, from which Don Hewitt fired him in 1974. von Hoffman was also a columnist for The Huffington Post.

<i>Grey Gardens</i> 1975 documentary film by Albert and David Maysles

Grey Gardens is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive, upper-class women, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived in poverty at Grey Gardens, a derelict mansion at 3 West End Road in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York. The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival but was not entered into the main competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Bouvier Beale</span> American socialite and cabaret performer (1917–2002)

Edith Bouvier Beale, nicknamed Little Edie, was an American socialite, fashion model, and cabaret performer. She was a first cousin of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Lee Radziwill. She is best known for her participation in the 1975 documentary film Grey Gardens, by Albert and David Maysles,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Raddatz</span> American reporter (born 1953)

Martha Raddatz is an American reporter with ABC News. She is the network's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent reporting for ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir, Nightline, and other network broadcasts. In addition to her work for ABC News, Raddatz has written for The New Republic and is a frequent guest on PBS's Washington Week. Raddatz is the co-anchor and primary fill-in anchor on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Howard Wolfson is an American Democratic political strategist. He served as a counselor to the former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, replacing Kevin Sheekey as Deputy Mayor of New York City for governmental affairs. He currently directs the education program at Bloomberg Philanthropies.

<i>Grey Gardens</i> (2009 film) 2009 HBO film directed by Michael Sucsy

Grey Gardens is a 2009 American biographical drama television film about the lives of Edith Bouvier "Little Edie" Beale, played by Drew Barrymore, and her mother Edith Ewing "Big Edie" Bouvier, played by Jessica Lange. Co-stars include Jeanne Tripplehorn as Jacqueline Kennedy, Little Edie's cousin, and Ken Howard as Phelan Beale, Little Edie's father. The film, directed by Michael Sucsy and co-written by Sucsy and Patricia Rozema, flashes back and forth between various events and dates ranging from Little Edie as a young débutante in 1936 moving with her mother to their Grey Gardens estate through the filming and premiere of the actual 1975 documentary Grey Gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherif Guellal</span> Algerian diplomat

Cherif Guellal was an Algerian businessman and diplomat, who fought in the Algerian independence movement. He served as the Algerian Ambassador to the United States and the Algerian Ambassador to Canada.

Quinn Bradlee FRSA FRAS FSA Scot is an American filmmaker, author and advocate for improving the lives of disabled individuals. He is the son of the editor Ben Bradlee, and journalist Sally Quinn. He was diagnosed in 1996 with DiGeorge syndrome. He attended The Lab School of Washington, and graduated from the college-preparatory Gow School in 2002. He attended special programs at Landmark College and American University, and studied at the New York Film Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey Gardens (estate)</span> House in East Hampton, New York

Grey Gardens is a 14-room house at 3 West End Road and Lily Pond Lane in the Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York. It was the residence of the Beale family from 1924 to 1979, including mother and daughter Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale from 1952 to 1977. The 1975 documentary Grey Gardens depicted the two living in squalor in the mansion; the highly regarded film spawned a 2006 Broadway musical, a 2009 television movie, and other adaptations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat lady</span> Cultural archetype of a woman who owns many cats

A cat lady is a cultural archetype or stock character, most often depicted as a middle-aged or elderly spinster or widow, who has many cats. The term may be pejorative, or it may be affectionately embraced. The term "cat lady" is embraced by cat lovers, especially when someone else tries to use it as an insult.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restaurant Nora</span> Restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Restaurant Nora was a restaurant owned by chef Nora Pouillon in Washington, D.C., and has been reported as America's first certified organic restaurant.

Lois Erdmann Wright was an American artist, author, and television personality. She was best known for her appearance in the 1975 independent documentary film Grey Gardens by Albert and David Maysles. She was the author of the memoir My Life at Grey Gardens: 13 Months and Beyond. She hosted The Lois Wright Show for LTV Public Access in East Hampton for over 30 years; broadcasting her final show on December 19, 2018. As an artist, she exhibited at Guild Hall in East Hampton and at the National Arts Club in New York. Her art focused mainly on Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale of Grey Gardens.

<i>The Newspaperman</i> 2017 American film

The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee is an American documentary film that premiered on December 4, 2017 on HBO. Directed by John Maggio, the film explores the life and legacy of journalist Ben Bradlee.

References

  1. 1 2 "William W. Quinn, 92, General and Former Intelligence Officer". The New York Times . September 12, 2000. pp. B10. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  2. "Television: Sallying Forth". Time. August 20, 1973. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  3. "Something About Sally". Vanity Fair. July 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  4. "Press: Brzezinski's Zipper Was Up". Time. December 31, 1979. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  5. 1 2 Quinn, Sally (November 2, 1998). "In Washington, That Letdown Feeling". The Washington Post. p. E01. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  6. 1 2 Jaffe, Harry (March 9, 1998). "The (Not So) Mighty Quinn". Salon. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006.
  7. TWM – The Clinton-Lewinsky Obsession/Gitlin Archived July 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Quinn's column was canceled after this article
  9. "Wedded dis for Bradlee brood" Archived February 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Boston Herald February 18, 2010
  10. "Sally Quinn Loses Washington Post Column After Wedding Drama" Medialite February 25, 2010
  11. "Sally Quinn, Author at OnFaith". Archived from the original on March 6, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television, by Wesley Hyatt (Billboard Books, 1997)
  13. https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/07/archives/tv-rudd-and-miss-quinn-in-debut-on-cbs-news-morning-program-is.html
  14. "We're Gonna Make You a Flop | News | the Harvard Crimson".
  15. Mallon, Bridget (September 11, 2015). "The Grey Gardens Estate Could Be Yours For $175,000 A Month: The infamous mansion has been fully restored to its pre-Edie glory". Veranda . Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  16. Peterson, Oliver (September 3, 2007). "Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee on Grey Gardens". The Southampton Press. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  17. "Want to Live in Grey Gardens? It Can Be Yours for $20 Million". The New York Times . March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  18. "Grey Gardens Estate in East Hampton Closes Sale | Observer". The New York Observer . December 22, 2017.
  19. "What My Son Taught Me About God", The Washington Post, December 7, 2006.
  20. "From atheism to magic, Sally Quinn on finding spirituality - Videos - CBS News". CBS News . Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  21. "Sally Quinn says 3 people encountered disaster after she cast hexes". USA Today .
  22. Bernstein, Adam (April 13, 2009). "Cherif Guellal dies at 76; Algerian resistance fighter and diplomat". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 13, 2009.
  23. "Opinion | In a new play, the Washington hostess lives again". The Washington Post . May 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021.