Karl Hess Papers

Born May 25, 1923 to a wealthy father and working class mother in Washington D.C., Karl Hess moved to the Philippines as a child. His mother divorced, refused alimony, and returned to Washington D.C. to raise her son alone. From an early age, Karl Hess questioned authority, demonstrated a single-minded independence, and effectively dodged school officials as a chronic truant. He dropped out of school at age 15 and began a long and colorful career as a journalist, speech writer, editor, and author of numerous books.

Early on Hess wrote politically conservative columns and contributed to numerous conservative publications. His writings subsequently drew the attention of the Republican Party. Hess has been credited with writing the Republican Party platforms for the 1960 and 1964 presidential campaigns. Senator Barry Goldwater first hired Hess as a speech writer. Hess went on to ghost-write Goldwater's news columns in the Los Angeles Times and had the temerity to call Goldwater El Jefe. The men shared a wit and view of the world that were very similar.

After the 1964 election, Hess grew disillusioned with the political right and swung to the New Left protesting the Vietnam War, joining the Students for a Democratic Society, and working with the Black Panthers. Through it all, he and Goldwater maintained contact and a degree of tolerance and patience rare in both men. Hess's later career and his political and philosophical evolution are described in his Mostly On Edge: An Autobiography. Drafts of this book can be found in Box 6.

Karl Hess died on April 22, 1994, two years after receiving a heart transplant.