USC Annenberg mourns the death of alumnus and USC Trustee Herb Klein (B.A. Journalism '40, pictured above and below with journalism professor Judy Muller), who spent more than 50 years with Copley Newspapers and was the first White House director of communications for Richard Nixon. He was 91.

"Herb Klein was a true Trojan," said USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III. "Herb was always a friend of the School. And he became a good friend of mine. His writing and his work made fundamental impacts on many facets of journalism, communication and public policy. His confident character and warm demeanor will live on through the work of our students, faculty and alumni. We will all sorely miss him." 

In 2004, Klein received the inaugural Half-Century Trojans Hall of Fame award to honor a lifetime of dedication to USC.

"“Herb Klein was a statesman, a journalist, an author and a leader,” said USC president Steven B. Sample, “but if you ask me what impressed me most about Herb, I will tell you: Herb Klein was a superstar in the Trojan Family. I can tell you that all who study, work and teach at USC have benefited from Herb’s generous support and his guidance of our university during his more than two decades as a USC trustee.”

While at USC, Klein was sports editor of the Daily Trojan, writing a column his senior year called “Sports Scribbles.” After graduation, the Los Angeles native took a job as a copy boy for the Alhambra Post-Advocate, and in 1946, upon his return from a tour in the Navy during World War II, he was named news editor. That same year he met Richard Nixon and quickly launched a parallel career in politics, working on all of Nixon’s congressional, gubernatorial, vice presidential and presidential campaigns.

In 1950, Klein accepted a position with the San Diego Union as an editorial writer. He progressed rapidly through the newspaper’s ranks and was named editor in 1959. In 1969 he was named White House director of communications following Nixon’s election as president. He held this position until 1973. He drew upon this experience in his 1980 book, “Making It Perfectly Clear,” which examined the relationship between U.S. presidents and members of the media through various administrations.

After leaving the White House, Klein served as vice president of Metromedia, Inc. He was appointed editor in chief of Copley Press in 1980, overseeing nine daily and 20 weekly newspapers. He retired in 2003 as vice president and editor in chief of the company and served as a national fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a business consultant, in addition to writing syndicated columns.

Klein, who lived in La Jolla, was instrumental in getting the Super Bowl to come to San Diego three times, and served in a leadership role for the Holiday Bowl. His legacy in the San Diego sports world is indelible.

Klein met his wife, Marjorie (Galbraith) Klein (B.A. ’41), during his senior year in an international relations class. The couple’s two daughters and two of their grandsons all graduated from USC. Herb’s brother, uncle and aunt also attended USC, as did Marjorie’s two brothers.

“One of the things I take a lot of pride in is the fact that there have been four generations of my family going to USC,” Herb Klein told USC's Trojan Family Magazine in 2004. “USC is a very big part of our family life.”

Friends of Klein endowed the Herb Klein Scholarship in Government and Political Reporting in 2005 at USC Annenberg to honor his distinguished career. Recipients include:

• 2005-2006: Lindsey Davis (B.A., Print Journalism and International Relations ’06)
• 2006-07: Rebekah Sanders (BA.., Print Journalism ’07)
• 2007-08: Elexander Michaelson (B.A., Broadcast Journalism and Political Science ’08)
• 2008-09: Beth Palkovic (BA.., Broadcast Journalism and Psychology ’09)
• 2009-10: Rohan Venkataramakrishnan (B.A. Print Journalism ‘11)

Klein is survived by a brother, Kenneth; daughter, Patricia Root; three grandsons, Tom Howell, Michael Mayne and Christopher Mayne; and three great-grandsons, Nick Howell, Zachary Mayne and Joshua Mayne.

1973 Time Magazine feature on Herb Klein 
Associated Press article