Joseph E. Persico, author and former speechwriter for New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, was born to Thomas and Blanche Persico of Gloversville, New York, on July 19, 1930. In 1952, after receiving a BA in both English and Political Science from the New York State College for Teachers (as the University at Albany was then known), he entered the U.S. Navy and remained in the military for three years. Persico served as a Lieutenant Junior Grade aboard a minesweeper and also with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Headquarters in Naples, Italy. Returning to the U.S. in 1956, Persico matriculated at Columbia University in New York for his graduate work.

In 1956, Joseph Persico began his political writing career, serving Governor W. Averell Harriman as a writer and researcher. After three years with Harriman, Persico then became a Foreign Service Officer for the United States Information Agency (USIA) working in Argentina, Brazil, and Washington. Between 1963 and 1966, Persico served as Executive Assistant to the New York State Health Commissioner, Hollis Ingraham. In 1966, Joseph Persico became the chief speechwriter for New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. Continuing in this position for seven years, he remained Rockefeller's primary speechwriter as the Governor assumed the office of Vice President of the United States from 1974 to 1977.

In 1977, Joseph Persico transitioned into a full-time author, focusing on historical subjects. In that year, his Civil War piece, My Enemy My Brother: Men and Days of Gettysburg, was released. Two years later, he followed up this work with a novel, The Spiderweb, and a nonfiction study, Piercing the Reich: The Penetration of Nazi Germany by American Secret Agents During World War II. In 1982, Persico focused on Nelson Rockefeller's life and published the biography, The Imperial Rockefeller. During the 1990s, Persico created other historical works on both American espionage and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials following World War II. These works were Casey: From the OSS to the CIA and Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial. Persico also targeted renowned broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow for a biographical sketch in 1990. In addition to his books, Persico has also published numerous articles on American history.

Persico collaborated with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell, on his biography. Between 1994 and 1996, the author developed a personal relationship with his subject, occasionally addressing Powell as "Sir Colin", and "Mon General", from "The Hired Pen". Joseph Persico continues to publish books on historical subjects. In November 2001, Random House Inc. released Roosevelt's Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage and in 2004, Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day, 1918, World War I and Its Violent Climax was published.

Apart from his professional career, Joseph Persico's private life has been spent with his wife, Sylvia La Vista Persico, and his children, Vanya and Andrea. He currently lives in Guilderland, N.Y.

Chronological Index to Press Releases, Speeches, and Transcripts Written for Nelson A. Rockefeller

This index was transcribed from the handwritten original provided by the donor covering the years 1964-1976.