Franklyn C. "Lyn" Nofziger (June 8, 1924 - March 27, 2006)

Franklyn C. "Lyn" Nofziger (June 8, 1924 - March 27, 2006) was an American journalist, political consultant and author. He served as a White House advisor during the Richard Nixon administration and as a press secretary during Ronald Reagan's administration.

Born in Bakersfield, California, Nofziger served in the U.S. Army and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from San Jose State College. He worked for 16 years as a reporter, editor and Washington correspondent for Copley Newspapers and Copley News Service.

In 1966, he was named press secretary for Reagan's successful gubernatorial campaign in California, and served two years as Governor Reagan's Director of Communications.

After Richard Nixon's election as U.S. President in 1968, Nofziger then served the Nixon White House as deputy assistant to the president for congressional relations and the Republica National Committee as its deputy chairman for communications.

He worked for Nixon's presidential re-election campaign in 1972 as executive director of the California Committee to Re-Elect the President.

As Governor Reagan set his sights on the Republican presidential nomination in 1976, Nofziger served his campaign as press secretary, convention director and director of the California campaign. When Gerald Ford won the Republican nomination, Nofziger assisted with the Ford-Dole campaign, which lost the election to Democrat Jimmy Carter and the Carter-Mondale campaign.

Nofziger went back to work for Governor Reagan as he began laying the groundwork for the 1980 campaign, serving as executive vice-chairman of Citizens for the Republic, a political action committee founded by Reagan. With the run at the White House in full gear in 1979, Mr. Nofziger served as deputy chairman for finance for the Reagan for President organization. Reagan won the election, defeating Carter's campaign for a second term.

Despite Nofziger's extensive experience as a spokesman for Reagan, the newly-elected president named James Brady to be his Press Secretary. Nofziger was instead named to the post of assistant to the president for political affairs in the White House, and Nofziger was employed there for about a year. Mr. Nofziger was a senior consultant for the 1984 Reagan-Bush Re-Election Campaign and a member of the 1985 Inaugural Committee.

In 1987, Nofziger (along with others) was investigated regarding allegedly illegal lobbying by Reagan officials on behalf of Wedtech Corporation, a defense contractor during his time at the White House. Attorney General Edwin Meese's role in securing a lucrative army contract for Wedtech also was investigated. Nofziger was the only person subsequently convicted, and that judgment was overturned upon appeal.

Nofziger also ran political campaigns for Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes.

Nofziger’s political memoir, titled Nofziger, was published in October of 1992 by Regnery Gateway. He wrote four Western novels with a hero named Tackett, a drifter who falls into situations that compel him to rescue women in distress.

Nofziger died at his home in Falls Church, Virginia of cancer at age 81.