William Safire

William Lewis Safire (/ˈsæfaɪər/; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter.

He was perhaps best known as a long-time syndicated political columnist for the New York Times and the author of "On Language" in the New York Times Magazine, a column on popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics from its inception.