Longtime Fox News Correspondent Wendell Goler Dies
Longtime Fox News White House correspondent Wendell Goler died this week. He was 70 years old.
His reported cause of death was kidney failure, according to longtime colleague Brit Hume.
Goler joined Fox News Channel in 1996 when the network was launched and eventually became senior White House foreign affairs correspondent, Fox News reported.
Before joining Fox News, Goler graduated from the University of Michigan and served as a White House correspondent for the Associated Press Broadcast Services and reported for several local Washington, D.C. stations.
He retired in 2014 after covering five presidents over 28 years.
“So very sad to hear that my former colleague Wendell Goler- who covered the White House for years – has died,” Fox anchor Bret Baier of the program “Special Report” tweeted. “Wendell was a consummate pro and a real gentlemen. My sincere condolences to his family.”
So very sad to hear that my former colleague Wendell Goler- who covered the White House for years – has died. Wendell was a consummate pro and a real gentlemen. My sincere condolences to his family #RIP
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) March 5, 2020
Baier added that “He took his job seriously and did it very well.”
Other Fox News personnel issued statements in honor of Goler and his contributions to political journalism.
“Wendell was a gifted correspondent, a wonderful colleague and a FOX News original whose reporting was respected on both sides of the aisle,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said. “We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Marge and his entire family.”
Fox News senior vice president and D.C. bureau chief Bryan Boughton said he will “cherish what [Goler] taught me” about journalism.
“Wendell Goler was a great journalist and helped build Fox News from the ground up,” Boughton said. “Wendell was a professional who pursued all angles of a story so he could report it fairly. Wendell was also a great guy to work with and brought a lot of fun and smiles to our long hours of travel around the world.”
During his time with Fox News, Goler reported on the acquittal of George Zimmerman and the congressional hearing on the attack of the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
He also covered President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial, conflicts in Syria and responses to the fall of the Lehman Brothers in 2008, the 2007 recession and the Bush administration’s post-9/11 policy changes.
On his final day as a reporter, he said, “it’s been a hell of a ride.”
Remember Wendell Goler’s last day at @FoxNews: https://t.co/H6sINpOhXR
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) March 5, 2020
“I think I’m a dinosaur here … I saw a golden age of broadcasting and kind of lived through it,” Goler said.
Fox News anchor Ed Henry said that he has been receiving messages from many producers “who respected his kindness as a mentor, and we’ll all miss his warmth and sense of humor.”
Other reporters from different news outlets also shared memories of the late reporter on Twitter.
“He was a top flight reporter & writer and a great friend and colleague dating back to our days together at AP Radio,” CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller tweeted. “He was also a gentleman and a one of the classiest acts in journalist, which lost a star on his retirement.”
ABC News supervising congressional reporter Trish Turner tweeted it was “A total pleasure to have worked with him for 2 1/2 years covering the Bush WH. He’ll be sorely missed.”
Goler is survived by his wife Marge and two daughters.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
