Donald A. Ritchie is Historian Emeritus of the US Senate. At the Senate he conducted an oral history program and edited for publication the transcripts of the previously closed hearings of Senator Joseph McCarthy. A former president of the Oral History Association, he also served on the council of the American Historical Association and as a delegate to the American Council of Learned Societies. His books include Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents, Doing Oral History, American Journalists: Getting the Story; Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps; Electing FDR: The New Deal Election of 1932 , and The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Introduction.

Finalist, 2022 Sperber Book Prize, Fordham University

"Now, at long last, Donald A. Ritchie has given us a definitive, balanced biography of Pearson." -- Jon Marshall, American Journalism

"An entertaining and mostly admiring life of the legendary columnist." -- Kirkus

"Donald Ritchie's deeply research biography of crusading columnist Drew Pearson resurrects one of the most important investigative journalists of the twentieth century. It is a fascinating tale of back room intrigue in the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., with lessons that resonate today. This important contribution to political and journalistic history is essential for understanding how politics and the press worked in post-war America." -- Mark Feldstein, author of Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington's Scandal Culture

"This is two brilliant biographies in one -- of the shrewdest, most swashbuckling journalists of the mid-Twentieth Century, and of the era and nation that spawned him. It's a must-read for anyone who cares about the Fourth Estate, about American democracy, and about history made readable and relevant." -- Larry Tye, author of Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy