It is with great sadness that The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) announces the passing of Anthony “Tony” R. Dolan, a brilliant and dedicated journalist whose work and contributions have left a lasting impact on the world of investigative reporting.

In 1978, Tony became the youngest journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for his groundbreaking coverage of government corruption in Stamford, Connecticut. His series of articles published in The Stamford Advocate in 1977, exposed organized crime within the Stamford Police Department, collusion on contracts across multiple cities and an arson ring shielded by a high-ranking fire department official.

His dedication to the field was evident in every aspect of his career, from his early work as a reporter to serving as a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to the end of Reagan’s second term in 1989. Tony is the mastermind behind the well-known phrase “Evil Empire,” which he first introduced in a speech he wrote for Reagan’s address to the National Association of Evangelicals in 1983. He went on to serve as a senior advisor to former Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2000 to 2001 and as a special advisor to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld from 2001 to 2007. Most recently, he was named a special assistant in President Donald J. Trump’s White House Domestic Policy Council after serving as a special assistant and advisor on Planning during President Trump’s first term.

During a press conference, President Trump recognized Tony for his years of dedicated service.

“He [Tony] was a great person,” President Trump said. “A great, brilliant writer and he will be very greatly missed.”

Tony was an active and engaged member of TFAS’s Institute on Political Journalism (IPJ) program, where he frequently served as a guest speaker and offered guidance to students pursuing careers in journalism. He also served as a judge for the Mollenhoff Award for Investigative Reporting, which is given to the best newspaper, magazine or online story that conforms both to the definition of investigative reporting as originally defined by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and to the professional standards articulated by Clark Mollenhoff in his critiques of journalism craft.

Tony embodies the kind of courageous leader TFAS strives to develop, one who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. His legacy will live on through his work, mentees and the many lives he touched — including hundreds of TFAS students.

TFAS Alumnus Reflects on Tony’s Legacy

Kevin Kellems ’86 remembers the first time he met Tony through TFAS’s IPJ program and reflects on the valuable insights and advice that Tony gave him throughout the years.

Anthony R. Dolan had so much between his ears moving so fast that it had to be challenging to manage. In his case, the over-used descriptors “gifted” and “genius” are deserved.

Dolan also was unusually committed to selflessly sharing his brilliant, incisive thinking with fortunate mentees who recognized what he had to offer.

I first met this youngest-ever Pulitzer winner (for investigative reporting for the Stamford Advocate) when I joined TFAS’s Institute on Political Journalism’s Board of Visitors as its youngest member. It was obvious that he was laser focused on ensuring that aspiring young journalists had the education and opportunity necessary to excel and succeed.

Years later, in 2001, as a new presidential appointee in the Pentagon, I was ecstatic to learn that he was leaving Colin Powell’s State Department to join us in Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s public affairs shop.

Tony was unfailingly helpful and spent valuable time offering insights and advice based on his decades in Washington and eight years of White House speech writing for President Reagan.

He, too, was generous in making introductions that mattered. In my case, Dolan introduced me to Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz, which led to becoming Vice President’s Cheney’s top White House communications advisor and press secretary.

A fellow beneficiary of Tony Dolan’s generosity, former White House and Pentagon speech writer Matt Latimer, recently described Dolan this way: ‘No one who knew Tony will ever forget him. He was brilliant and stubborn and unreasonable and startlingly kind and loyal. He was a mentor who took the role extremely seriously.’