Richard Reeves, political historian and commentator, dies at 83

NEW YORK — Richard Reeves, an author and syndicated columnist who wrote about politics for more than 50 years and published books on Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy and other American presidents, has died at age 83.

Reeves son’ Jeffrey Reeves told The Associated Press that his father died Wednesday in Los Angeles and had been in failing health.

Reeves was a New York City native who worked as a journalist for much of the 1960s, including several years with The New York Times. He released his first book, on then-President Gerald Ford, in 1975, and four years later began a weekly column that was syndicated for decades. He became a frequent commentator on PBS and even appeared on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson.

His point of view was clear. He opposed the Iraq War, faulted President Ronald Reagan for favoring the rich and wrote in a 2004 column: “I am always amazed when I get letters, many of them, accusing me of being a ‘liberal’ or, a lot worse, an ‘elitist.’ Yes, I am. Hello!”

His other books included “President Kennedy: Profile of Power,” “President Nixon: Alone in the White House” and “What The People Know: Freedom and the Press.” His most recent publication was “Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II,” which came out in 2015.

Reeves was married twice and had five children.