About Judy Lee Klemesrud
Lived 1939 – 1985 (aged 46). Judy Lee Klemesrud was an American journalist.
Judy Lee Klemesrud (June 11, 1939 – October 12, 1985) was a writer for The New York Times from 1966 until her death in 1985.
She attended the University of Iowa from 1958 until she was graduated in 1961. She later attended the Columbia University School of Journalism. While attending the University of Iowa, she worked as an editor at The Daily Iowan. She then spent four years as a reporter for the Chicago Daily News. She then spent 19 years at The New York Times beginning in 1966, and ending at her death in 1985. She also wrote for such magazines as: Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, and The New York Times Magazine. In 1968, she signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
Judy wrote an op-ed piece on October 28, 1970, titled "Those Treats May Be Tricks," on Halloween candy being poisoned. Despite very few documented instances of this, a nationwide panic on the subject has lasted to contemporary times.
Klemesrud wrote "Donald Trump, Real Estate Promoter, Builds Image as He Buys Buildings," the first Donald Trump profile, which appeared in the New York Times in November 1976.
Death Klemesrud died of breast cancer on October 12, 1985, at the age of 46. She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, in her native Thompson.
Awards She won various awards for her work at The New York Times. These included two Page One Awards from the Newspaper Guild of New York for her 1973 story, In a Small Town U.S.A., Women's Lib is Either a Joke or a Rarity, and a 1983 profile on tennis celebrity Ivan Lendl. In 1969 she won a Front Page Award from the Newspaper Women's Club of New York for a story about adoptions by single women.
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Important facts
People in Judy Lee Klemesrud's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Judy Lee Klemesrud's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Judy Lee Klemesrud?
American journalist
When was Judy Lee Klemesrud born?
Judy Lee Klemesrud was born on 11 June 1939 in Thompson, Iowa.
When did Judy Lee Klemesrud die?
Judy Lee Klemesrud died on 12 October 1985 in Manhattan.
What was Judy Lee Klemesrud's occupation?
Judy Lee Klemesrud was a journalist.
What nationality was Judy Lee Klemesrud?
Judy Lee Klemesrud was American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Judy Lee Klemesrud
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Judy Lee Klemesrud. https://biography.guide/judy-lee-klemesrud/
MLA: "Judy Lee Klemesrud." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/judy-lee-klemesrud/.
Chicago: "Judy Lee Klemesrud." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/judy-lee-klemesrud/.
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