Merriman Smith - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Merriman Smith was a newspaper reporter who began the tradition of ending presidential news press conferences with “Thank you, Mr. President.” Smith, who was working for the United Press International Wire Service was in Dallas, Texas in 1963 when President John Kennedy was assassinated. Smith a fierce competitor was first to break the news of the Assassination beating out Jack Bell of the Associated Press. With 5-bells announcing the bulletin the world was first notified of the events that had occurred on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Smith initial bulletin read:

UPI A7N DA
PRECEDE KENNEDY
DALLAS,NOV.22(UPI)--THREE SHOTS WERE FIRED AT PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S MOTORCADE IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS.
JT1234PCS.
A few minutes later Walter Cronkite interrupted CBS Television programming and read Smith bulletin almost word for word.

In 1964, Merriman Smith won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Kennedy assassination. Smith is also credited with being the first to use the term “Grassy Knoll” as it related to the scene in Dealey Plaza.

In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson presented Smith with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Merriman Smith died on April 13, 1970 from a self-inflicted gun-shot wound. The Commanding General of the Military District of Washington granted special permission for Smith to be buried next to his son in Arlington National Cemetery. He is resting in Section 32 – Grave 823.

Source/Credit: (visit link)

Description: Merriman Smith was the dean of the wire service reporters. Before satellite trucks and cellular phones, Smith was responsible for the United Press International seat at the White House. Smith covered the White House through six administrations from Roosevelt to Nixon. He was on duty the day Roosevelt died; the day the end of World War II was announced; throughout the election of Harry Truman and during the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was his reporting of the Kennedy assassination that won Smith the Pulitzer Prize. Smith grabbed the radiophone in the wire services pool car to announce to the world first that shots were fired at Kennedy. He was also the first to report the wounding and the death of Kennedy. He was also the only wire service reporter onboard Air Force One when Johnson was sworn in as President, and for the trip back to Washington. Smith committed suicide in 1970 at age 57. His family was granted special permission to bury in Arlington National Cemetery, next to his son. Merriman Smith is resting in Section 32 – Grave 823 in Arlington National Cemetery. Source/Credit: www.findagrave.com Date of birth: 02/10/1913 Date of death: 04/13/1970 Area of notoriety: Entertainment Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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