Political reporter, Milwaukee native Ted Knap, who covered some of the country's most historic moments, dies at 102

Reaching the age of 102 is a feat on its own. But that's just a drop in the pond for someone who's had as legendary a life as Milwaukee native and former national political correspondent Thaddeus "Ted" Knap.

From his beginnings as a paper boy to covering five presidents in Washington and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, Knap's remarkable journalism career spanned more than four decades.

"My job was that simple. I was there, I saw and I heard, and I reported what I saw and what I heard. Truthfully," Knap, a Marquette University graduate, said in a previous Journal Sentinel interview.

In a statement, Marquette President Michael Lovell described Knap as "a consummate storyteller who sought the truth to inform generations through his vocation as a journalist."

After a life of traveling across the country and world, Knap spent his final years at Oconomowoc's Shorehaven Retirement Community. He died on Feb. 26.

A look at Knap's legendary journalism career

Seeking a better life, Knap's parents immigrated to the U.S. from Poland in the early 20th century and settled in Milwaukee. Knap was born in 1920 and raised in Riverwest.

Knap's first job in the journalism industry was as a paper boy for the Milwaukee Journal.

Later, as a Messmer High School student, he got to cover the 1932 Democratic National Convention in Chicago for his school's newspaper. That's when and where he knew he wanted to be a journalist.

After graduating from Marquette in 1940, where he studied journalism, he worked for the Waukesha Daily Freeman, then fought in the Army for four years during World War II.

In 1950, Knap started working for the Indianapolis Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. He became the Washington correspondent for that paper, as well as the Evansville Press, around 1963 — in the midst of the Vietnam War and civil rights movement.

Knap marched with the civil rights movement on Aug. 28, 1963, and covered Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

"There we were, arm in arm, singing 'we shall overcome, oh yes, we shall overcome.' We had tears in our eyes," Knap had said. "It was amazing."

During his time in the nation's capital, Knap covered five presidents: Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

But his favorite politician was Hubert Humphrey, the former vice president under Johnson, for how he created an honest and open relationship with his supporters and the press.

During Knap's career, he also interviewed former president Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Princess Grace of Monaco, Senator John Warner, Brooke Shields and Jack Dempsey, among others, according to his obituary. Knap had lunch with Shirley Temple Black, drinks with Shirley MacLaine, and met Elizabeth Taylor backstage at a white-tie dinner, he said during a 2016 visit to Marquette's Diederich College of Communication.

During that visit, Knap emphasized the importance of honesty and gave advice to future journalists. But inspiring students wasn't the only way Knap continued showing support for his alma mater over the years.

Knap was also a benefactor, giving more than $3 million to help "meritorious journalism students with financial need" through the Ted Knap Journalism Endowed Scholarship Fund, according to the university.

“Ted Knap lived life to the fullest in the fast lane that journalism opened to him,” Marquette Provost Kimo Ah Yun said in a statement. He met with Knap several times during his time as the dean of the Diederich College.

“Throughout his career he strove to embody the ideal of being a reporter whose stories were thoroughly and thoughtfully researched and allowed readers to make their own decisions," Ah Yun said. "His legacy will be felt in the journalists he has inspired and those he supported through both his gift of mentorship and financial scholarship, which have laid the foundation for the next generations of great journalists."

Looking back on his career in 2020, Knap said journalism was the right path for him and that he did an "honest job."

"I thought being a journalist was an honorable thing," he said. "It's about the people knowing what is going on. They have to be informed, and well-informed. Whose job is that? The press."

Knap's accolades include making it onto Nixon's 'enemies list,' into a journalism hall of fame

Knap made it onto Nixon's famous "enemies list," a previous Journal Sentinel report said. During the Watergate scandal, Knap — who was president of the White House Correspondents Association at that time — was known for "pestering" Nixon about his "secret plan to end the war in Vietnam."

"[The plan] was to declare victory," Knap said.

Knap would go on to be inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 2008.

Knap was also a recipient of Marquette’s Byline Award, which honors an alumnus who has "attained distinction in journalism and related communication fields," according to the university.

Knap's family life

Knap was married to Eleanore Knoebel of Waukesha, who died in 2011. "Beautiful girl. I love her. I still do," Knap said of his wife in 2020.

Knap was also preceded in death by his parents, his sister Helen Ronstadt, and his brothers Tony, Harry, and Dr. Florian Knap, his obituary said.

“On behalf of the Marquette University community, I extend deepest condolences to his family, his friends, and those he impacted," Lovell said in a statement.

Visitation, funeral arrangements

Visitation will be held on March 11 at 10 a.m. until an 11 a.m. funeral service at the Shorehaven Chapel, 1305 W. Wisconsin Ave., Oconomowoc, according to his obituary.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Marquette University - Ted Knap Scholarship Fund, or the American Red Cross.

"His contributions as a reporter and his generosity as a private philanthropist will have a positive impact on many young journalists far into the future," Lovell said in a statement.

Former Journal Sentinel reporter Samantha Hendrickson contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Political reporter, Milwaukee native, Marquette graduate Ted Knap died