William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He was a long-time syndicated political columnist for The New York Times and wrote the "On Language" column in The New York Times Magazine about popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics.
Safire receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006
William Safire memo to H. R. Haldeman to be used in the event that Apollo 11 ended in disaster.
A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be employed to write for weddings and other social occasions.
U.S. President Barack Obama and aides Carol Browner, David Axelrod, and Jon Favreau working on a speech in June 2010
Ted Sorensen authored President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address in January 1961, which included the famed phrase, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your county."