WASHINGTON — Political columnist Robert Novak, a conservative, pugilistic debater and proud owner of the “Prince of Darkness” moniker, died Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer that was diagnosed in July 2008. He was 78.
His wife of 47 years, Geral dine Novak, said he died at his home in Washington early in the morning.
A household face as co-host of CNN’s “Crossfire,” Novak had been a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for decades.
“He was a Washington institution who could turn an idea into the most discussed story around kitchen tables, congressional offices, the White House, and everywhere in between,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement.
In recent years, Novak ended up being a part of a big Washington story, in ways he likely never intended, becoming a central figure in the Valerie Plame-CIA leak scandal.
Novak was the first to publish the name of the CIA employee, and he came under withering criticism and abuse from many for that column, which Novak said began “a long and difficult episode” in his career.
“I had a terrific time fulfilling all my youthful dreams and at the same time making life miserable for hypocritical, posturing politicians and, I hope, performing a service for my country,” Novak wrote in his memoir, “The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington.”
Novak, editor of the Evans- Novak Political Report, is perhaps best-known as a co-host of several of CNN’s political talk shows, where he often jousted with liberal guests from 1980 to 2005. One of the best-known was “Crossfire.”
While he became known as a conservative for his role on “Crossfire” and other CNN political shows such as “The Capital Gang,” he differed with conservatives on many issues, expressing doubts about invading Afghanistan and frequently criticizing the war in Iraq.
Born and raised in Joliet, Ill., Novak began his career in journalism in high school as a sports stringer for the Joliet Herald-News, then worked at the Champaign-Urbana Courier while attending the University of Illinois.
After college, he served stateside in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant during the Korean War, then went on to work for The Associated Press. In the Washington bureau, he covered congressional delegations for several Midwestern states.
In 1958, Novak joined the staff of The Wall Street Journal and soon became its chief congressional correspondent.
In 1963, he teamed up with the late Rowland Evans Jr. to pen a political column, “Inside Washington,” that lasted 30 years. They were journalism’s odd couple — Evans was polished and charming, while Novak was often rumpled and grouchy.
Evans died in March 2001, and Novak continued to write the column until his brain-tumor diagnosis.
