Paul Gigot, Class of 1977 and former editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for commentary writing yesterday.
The Wall Street Journal writer won the prestigious journalism award for his columns covering politics, many of which analyzed President Clinton's impeachment and its effects on the 2000 election.
Speaking to The Dartmouth just moments after winning the award, Gigot said he was "delighted" and proud not only for himself but for the Journal and its editorial page.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Gigot worked briefly for The National Review and the Far Eastern Economic Review before joining the Journal staff.
He first reported for the newspaper's Chicago bureau in 1980. He then moved to Asia where he reported on Hong Kong and then ran the editorials page for The Asian Wall Street Journal.
"I wanted to do two things as a journalist -- be a foreign correspondent and be a columnist and I have been able to do both," Gigot said.
And he can now add being a Pulitzer Prize winner to that list.
"A lot of my friends ... went to law school. They're all richer than I am, but I've had more fun than they have."
At the College, Gigot was a government major and wrote for, and then edited The Dartmouth.
"I owe it all to The Daily D," a celebrating Gigot said yesterday from the Journal's headquarters.
Many of his columns covering Washington, D.C. have focused on how the impeachment scandal has had a large effect on this year's campaigns.
Gigot said he thinks John McCain's popularity and Bill Bradley's initial surge are attributable to the emphasis on "character and biography" caused by the Monica Lewinsky controversy.
The Wall Street Journal also picked up a second Pulitzer yesterday for national reporting. The Washington Post won the public service award for exposing neglect and abuse in the city's homes for the mentally retarded.
The Village Voice won the award for international reporting for its look at the AIDS crisis in Africa. The Denver Post staff won the breaking news award for its coverage of the Columbine High School massacre.
