Richard Naradof Goodwin (December 7, 1931 – May 20, 2018) was an American writer and presidential advisor. He was an aide and speechwriter to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He was married to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin for 42 years until his death in 2018 after a short bout with cancer. He was 86. Early life and education Goodwin was born on December 7, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Belle (née Fisher) and Joseph C. Goodwin, an engineer and insurance salesman. Goodwin was raised Jewish. Goodwin graduated from Brookline High School, and in 1953 graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1954, and served as a private in post-World War II France. After returning to the United States, he studied at Harvard Law School, graduating in 1958 summa cum laude. He was first in his class and president of the Harvard Law Review. Career Early career After clerking for Justice Felix Frankfurter of the U.S. Supreme Court, Goodwin became counsel for the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce where Goodwin was involved in investigating quiz show scandals, particularly the Twenty-One scandal. This affair provided the story for the 1994 movie Quiz Show, in which Goodwin was portrayed by actor Rob Morrow. Kennedy administration Goodwin joined the speechwriting staff of John F. Kennedy in 1959. Fellow Kennedy speechwriter Ted Sorensen became a mentor to Goodwin. Goodwin was one of the youngest members of the group of "New Frontiersmen" who advised Kennedy; others included Fred Dutton, Ralph Dungan, Kenneth O'Donnell, and Harris Wofford, all of whom were under 37 years old. In 1961, after Kennedy became president, Goodwin became assistant special counsel to the President and a member of the Task Force on Latin American Affairs. Later that year, Kennedy appointed him Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs; Goodwin held this position until 1963. Goodwin reportedly opposed the Bay of Pigs invasion and unsuccessfully tried to persuade Kennedy not to order the operation. In August 1961, Goodwin was part of a delegation headed by US Treasury Secretary Douglas Dillon that was sent to Uruguay to attend a conference of Latin American finance ministers. The topic under discussion was the Alliance for Progress, which was endorsed by all countries representatives excepting Cuban representative Che Guevara. However, Guevara had no intentions of going