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Portrait of Clay Risen

Clay Risen

Clay Risen is an obituaries reporter for The New York Times. Previously, he was a senior editor on the Politics desk and a deputy op-ed editor on the Opinion desk. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, “Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey” and “The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders and the Dawn of the American Century.”

  1. Paul Morantz, Lawyer Who Campaigned Against Cults, Dies at 77

    He took on sects and other fringe groups in California, as well as abusive psychotherapists and a self-help guru. At one point assassins tried to kill him with a rattlesnake.

    By Clay Risen

  2. Romano Mazzoli, Who Oversaw Major Immigration Reform, Dies at 89

    A House Democrat, he worked across the aisle with Senator Alan K. Simpson to enable a compromise allowing amnesty for millions of undocumented immigrants.

    By Clay Risen

  3. Katherine Duncan-Jones, Who Cast Shakespeare as a Boor, Dies at 81

    A fearless scholar of English literature, she argued in books and interviews that the revered playwright was a narcissist, misogynist and social climber.

    By Clay Risen

  4. James Giffen, Who Was Embroiled in ‘Kazakhgate,’ Dies at 81

    The government charged him with funneling $78 million in bribes to Kazakhstan, but dropped the case after a judge decided he had acted with C.I.A. approval.

    By Clay Risen

  5. Daniel Smith, 90, Dies; Thought to Be the Last Child of an Enslaved Person

    He led a life marked by encounters with touchstone moments in Black history, from the March on Washington to Barack Obama’s first inauguration.

    By Clay Risen

  6. Thomas Cahill, Popular Writer of Ireland’s History, Dies at 82

    His book “How the Irish Saved Civilization” became a best seller and helped open the door to a new appreciation of that country’s culture.

    By Clay Risen

  7. Ashton B. Carter, Defense Secretary Under Obama, Dies at 68

    Trained as a physicist, he opened the U.S. military to transgender service members and removed barriers to women in combat roles.

    By Clay Risen

  8. Joanna Simon, Opera Singer from Famously Musical Family, Dies at 85

    A renowned mezzo-soprano, she grew up alongside her younger sisters, Carly and Lucy, both of whom became singer-songwriters.

    By Clay Risen

  9. Lenny Lipton, ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ Lyricist and 3-D Film Pioneer, 82, Dies

    He used the royalties earned from the hit folk song, based on a poem he wrote in college, to fund decades of research into stereoscopic projection.

    By Clay Risen

  10. Roger Welsch, ‘America’s Premier Storyteller,’ Is Dead at 85

    Author, humorist and tractor buff, he quit academia and found fame as a correspondent from the Nebraska heartland for the CBS News program “Sunday Morning.”

    By Clay Risen