NASHVILLE, Tenn. – John Seigenthaler, the journalist who edited The Tennessean newspaper, helped shape USA Today and worked for civil rights during the John F. Kennedy administration, died Friday at his Nashville home at age 86, his son said.
In his wide-ranging career, Seigenthaler also served on Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign and founded the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
A statement from his son, broadcast journalist John Seigenthaler Jr., said his father died “peacefully at home,” where he was recovering after a recent medical treatment.
“We celebrate his life – his devotion to social justice, his advocacy of human rights, and his enduring loyalty to friends and family,” the statement said.
Seigenthaler began his journalism career in 1949 as a cub reporter for The Nashville Tennessean. He worked as a reporter and assistant city editor until 1960, when he took a job as administrative assistant to Robert Kennedy, who became attorney general in 1961 during the presidency of his brother.