Malcolm MacPherson (writer)
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Cook MacPherson (August 23, 1943 – January 17, 2009) was an American
national and foreign correspondent for Newsweek
magazine and the author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books.
on August 23, 1943 and spent his early childhood in Garden Grove
in Orange County, California
near Disneyland. After surviving a car crash that killed his parents when he was 11-years old, he headed back East and lived with relatives in Wallingford, Connecticut
. Attending a high school program during the summer in New Delhi
, he had the opportunity to interview Prime Minister of India
Jawaharlal Nehru
, helping trigger an interest in journalism. He attended Trinity College
in nearby Hartford, Connecticut
, graduating in 1965.
MacPherson spent six years in the Marine Corps Reserves, starting in 1965. Working at Time
magazine as a trainee, he was fired after throwing a drink in an editor's face while attending a holiday party. He started working for Newsweek
magazine in 1968, first as a national correspondent, providing coverage from cities in the United States including Boston
, Chicago
and Los Angeles
. Five years later, he started taking on overseas assignments, including covering the Yom Kippur War
in 1973, the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus
and "The Rumble in the Jungle
" in Kinshasa
, Zaire
in October 1974, with world Heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman
facing former world champion Muhammad Ali
, reprting from postings in London
, Nairobi
and Paris
.
Turning down a position at its San Francisco office, MacPherson left Newsweek magazine. Moving into a treehouse in Kenya, he wrote his first novel, Protégé, about a group of former Nazis who try to take over Tanzania
, which was published in 1980. The Lucifer Key, published the following year, told the story of a hacker who brings the United States and Soviet Union to the edge of nuclear war after he breaks into the Pentagon computer system. His 1984 non-fiction book The Blood of His Servants told of the search by Israeli journalist Lieber "Bibi" Krumholz for the man who killed his family during World War II
. Time Bomb, published in 1986, was about the race to develop the atomic bomb. His 1994 comic novel In Cahoots was about real estate speculation in California. A story about a real-life rancher from Colorado who adopts a baby elephant was the impetus for his 2001 book The Cowboy and His Elephant. Roberts Ridge, about Navy Seals operating in Afghanistan, was published in 2005. His 2007 book Hocus POTUS
was a satiric novel about the search for weapons of mass destruction
, based on his reporting in a freelance assignment for Time
magazine in Iraq after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
.
MacPherson, a resident of Warrenton, Virginia
, died of a heart attack
at age 65 on January 17, 2009 after collapsing while attending a pre-inauguration party for then-President-elect Barack Obama
in Chevy Chase, Maryland
. He was survived by his wife, whom he married in 1988, two children and two sisters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
national and foreign correspondent for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine and the author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books.
Biography
MacPherson was born in Bridgeport, ConnecticutBridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
on August 23, 1943 and spent his early childhood in Garden Grove
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
near Disneyland. After surviving a car crash that killed his parents when he was 11-years old, he headed back East and lived with relatives in Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...
. Attending a high school program during the summer in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, he had the opportunity to interview Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, helping trigger an interest in journalism. He attended Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in nearby Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, graduating in 1965.
MacPherson spent six years in the Marine Corps Reserves, starting in 1965. Working at Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine as a trainee, he was fired after throwing a drink in an editor's face while attending a holiday party. He started working for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine in 1968, first as a national correspondent, providing coverage from cities in the United States including Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Five years later, he started taking on overseas assignments, including covering the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
in 1973, the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
and "The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire . It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and challenger Muhammad Ali...
" in Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
in October 1974, with world Heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...
facing former world champion Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, reprting from postings in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Turning down a position at its San Francisco office, MacPherson left Newsweek magazine. Moving into a treehouse in Kenya, he wrote his first novel, Protégé, about a group of former Nazis who try to take over Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, which was published in 1980. The Lucifer Key, published the following year, told the story of a hacker who brings the United States and Soviet Union to the edge of nuclear war after he breaks into the Pentagon computer system. His 1984 non-fiction book The Blood of His Servants told of the search by Israeli journalist Lieber "Bibi" Krumholz for the man who killed his family during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Time Bomb, published in 1986, was about the race to develop the atomic bomb. His 1994 comic novel In Cahoots was about real estate speculation in California. A story about a real-life rancher from Colorado who adopts a baby elephant was the impetus for his 2001 book The Cowboy and His Elephant. Roberts Ridge, about Navy Seals operating in Afghanistan, was published in 2005. His 2007 book Hocus POTUS
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
was a satiric novel about the search for weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
, based on his reporting in a freelance assignment for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine in Iraq after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
.
MacPherson, a resident of Warrenton, Virginia
Warrenton, Virginia
Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census, and 14,634 at the 2010 estimate. It is the county seat of Fauquier County. Public schools in the town include Fauquier High School, Warrenton Middle School, Taylor Middle School and two...
, died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at age 65 on January 17, 2009 after collapsing while attending a pre-inauguration party for then-President-elect Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
. He was survived by his wife, whom he married in 1988, two children and two sisters.