Reagan's Pollster Richard Wirthlin Dies Aged 80

Richard Bitner Wirthlin, President Ronald Reagan's former Chief Strategist and Pollster, died at his home in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, a day after his 80th birthday.

Wirthlin was born on March 15, 1931, in Salt Lake City, and earlier in his life held high-ranking posts in the Mormon church and performed missionary service in Switzerland.

After earning a doctorate in economics from the University of California at Berkeley, he returned to Utah and became Chair of the Economics department at the Brigham Young University in the 1960s.

In 1969, Wirthlin set up opinion research and strategic consulting firm Decision/Making/Information (which was renamed WirthlinWorldwide in 1980). He eventually sold the company to Harris Interactive in 2004 for a combination of stock and cash valued at $41.8m. In 2007, he retired from the Harris Board.

Wirthlin was a close adviser and friend to Reagan for more than 20 years, and directed his presidential campaigns in 1980 and 1984. In 2004, he co-authored, with Wynton Hall, the critically acclaimed book 'The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught me about Politics, Leadership, and Life'.

He also served as an advisor and pollster to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Wirthlin was named 'Pollster of the Year' for the American Association of Political Consultants in 2000, and designated as the 'Ad Man of the Year' by Advertising Age in 1981 for his role in the Reagan campaign. His firm was twice awarded the Grand Prize at the Advertising Research Foundation's David Ogilvy Research Awards in 1999 and 2002.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years Jeralie Mae Chandler, eight children, 27 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Former US Attorney General Edwin Meese III described Wirthlin as 'a great man, a great friend and an invaluable counselor to President Reagan'.