Everything about Tony Snow totally explained
Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow (born
June 1,
1955) was the third
White House Press Secretary for
President George W. Bush, succeeding
Scott McClellan and
Ari Fleischer in that role. Snow also worked for President
George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and Deputy Assistant of Media Affairs.
Between his two
White House stints, Snow was a
broadcaster and
newspaper columnist. After years of regular guest-hosting for
The Rush Limbaugh Show and providing news commentary for
National Public Radio, he launched his own
talk radio program,
The Tony Snow Show, which went on to become nationally
syndicated. He was also a regular personality on
Fox News Channel since 1996, hosting
Fox News Sunday,
Weekend Live, and often substituting as host of
The O'Reilly Factor.
On August 30, 2007, Snow announced that he'd step down from his position on September 14, 2007. He said he'd taken a major pay cut to become press secretary and that in light of his cancer he needed to earn more than his $168,000 salary to provide for his family. Snow's deputy,
Dana Perino, succeeded him as White House Press Secretary.
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As of April 21, 2008,
CNN has announcedthat Tony Snow will join them as a conservative commentator.
On April 23, 2008, the
Associated Press reported that Tony Snow was admitted to a Spokane hospital with an undisclosed illness. On April 22, he canceled appearances scheduled at Eastern Washington University. He was also expected to appear that day on CNN to analyze the Pennsylvania primary which occurred that day.
Early life and family
Snow was born in
Berea, Kentucky, and raised in
Cincinnati, Ohio. His father Jim taught
social studies and was an assistant principal at
Princeton High School in suburban Cincinnati, from which his son graduated. His mother was an inner-city nurse who died of
colon cancer in 1973 when Snow was 17 years old. After graduating from Princeton High School in
Sharonville, Ohio, Snow obtained his
Bachelor of Arts in
philosophy from
Davidson College in 1977.
Career
Early career
Snow began his newspaper career in 1979 in
newspapers as an editorial writer for
The Greensboro Record in
North Carolina, next working as an editorial writer at
The Virginian-Pilot in
Norfolk, Virginia (1981-82), editorial page editor of
The Daily Press in
Newport News (1982-84), deputy editorial page editor of
The Detroit News (1984-87) and editorial page editor of
The Washington Times (1987-91). Also,
The Detroit News published his commentary from 1993 to 2000, and he was a Counterpoint Columnist for
USA Today from 1994 to 2000.
Snow also wrote a
syndicated column for
Creators Syndicate between 1993 and 2000. As a nationally syndicated columnist, his commentaries appeared in more than 200 newspapers nationwide. Snow won numerous awards during his print career, including citations from the
Virginia Press Association, the
Detroit Press Club, the
Society of Professional Journalists, the
American Society of Newspaper Editors, The Associated Press and
Gannett.
He has appeared on radio and television programs worldwide including
The McLaughlin Group,
The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour,
Face the Nation,
Crossfire, and
Good Morning America. Until 1994, Snow was the writer, correspondent and host of a PBS news special,
The New Militant Center.
In 1991, Snow took a sabbatical from journalism to work in the White House for President
George H. W. Bush, first as chief speechwriter (Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications and Director of Speechwriting) and later as Deputy Assistant to the President for Media Affairs (1992-1993).
From 1996 to 2003, he served as the first host of
FOX News Sunday, a Sunday morning interview and roundtable program produced by
Fox News, airing on affiliates of the
Fox Broadcasting Company and later in the day on
Fox News Channel.
Snow served as the primary guest host of
Rush Limbaugh's program from the mid-1990s on. He was also a frequent commentator on National Public Radio. Snow's own
Tony Snow Show on
Fox News Radio premiered in late 2003. It ended when he became White House Press Secretary in April 2006.
Return to the White House
In April 2006, Snow was named White House Press Secretary to replace
Scott McClellan in the
George W. Bush administration. His appointment to the position was formally announced on
April 26,
2006. The position of
White House Press Secretary has historically been filled by individuals from
news media backgrounds.
His selection as press secretary was initially criticized because of some of his past comments about Bush.
Bush acknowledged Snow's prior criticisms during the announcement of his appointment, stating that Snow was "not afraid to express his own opinions".
Snow considered having input into the administration's policy debates a requirement for him to take the position.
Snow began his new press secretary duties on
May 8,
2006.
On July 3, 2007, Snow had a combative press conference with White House reporters about the President's decision to
commute a prison term for top Vice-Presidential aide
Irving Lewis "Scooter" Libby, sentenced to 30 months in prison for obstruction of justice; Bush had once vowed to fire any White House staffer convicted in the case. When Snow denied Libby's commutation was motivated by party politics, one reporter accused Snow of "insulting their intelligence."
In his final press briefing on September 13, 2007, Snow commented on the job that he was leaving. "I'll miss it," he said in a tone that, unlike most press secretaries on their last day, suggested he really meant it. "I love these briefings.".
Illness
Snow, having suffered for years from
ulcerative colitis, was at an increased risk for
colon cancer.
On
February 2005, this risk proved real, as he developed cancer in his
colon.
After having his colon removed, he returned to work in April 2005. On
March 23,
2007, Snow announced that he'd be undergoing surgery the following Monday to remove and investigate an abdominal growth.
On
March 27, the White House announced that the growth was cancerous and had
metastasized.
In Snow's absence, the press briefings began to be covered by Deputy
Dana Perino. On
April 21, Snow made an appearance at the annual
White House Correspondent's Association Dinner, where he introduced a joking tape by
David Letterman. Snow returned to work on
April 30,
2007. On
May 12, Snow delivered the
Commencement Address for the
Catholic University of America, in
Washington, D.C., where he was presented with a degree of
Doctor of Humane Letters,
honoris causa. On
September 19, it was reported in the AP that a cancerous growth was found inside his brain. Though Snow has been reluctant to describe himself as terminally ill, on
September 27, he admitted to
Jay Leno on
The Tonight Show that he'll have cancer for the rest of his life, "unless and until they find a cure." He then announced on
October 4 on the
Late Show With David Letterman that his cancer was in remission. He recently told
Martha Stewart that he feels great, and is nearly ready to deal with the cattle call of Washington once again.
Music
Snow is an avid musician. He plays the
trombone,
flute,
piccolo,
accordion,
saxophone, and
guitar, and belongs to a cover band, Beats Workin', which features fellow
Washington-area professionals. Beats Workin' has played publicly with a number of rock bands, including Snow's friends
Skunk Baxter (
The Doobie Brothers,
Steely Dan) and
Ian Anderson of
Jethro Tull. He was featured on an episode of
VH1 Classic's
Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp.
Snow has also been referenced in popular music; throughout hip-hop group
UGK's CD
Underground Kingz, rapper
Pimp C refers to himself as Tony Snow, playing upon the slang meaning of "snow" as "
cocaine".
Career timeline
Print
Radio
The Tony Snow Show (2003-2006)
National Public Radio
Guest hosting: The Rush Limbaugh Show (1990s), The Radio Factor (2008-present), Paul Harvey News and Comment (2008-present)
Television
Weekend Live
Fox News Sunday 1996-2003
The O'Reilly FactorFurther Information
Get more info on 'Tony Snow'.
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