# Matt Latimer

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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name        = Matt Latimer
| birth_name  = Matthew N. Latimer
| office      = White House Deputy Director of Speechwriting
| leader      = [William McGurn](/source/William_McGurn)
| term_start  = March 20, 2007
| term_end    = October 2008
| president   = [George W. Bush](/source/George_W._Bush)
| alma_mater  = [University of Michigan](/source/University_of_Michigan) ([BA](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts), [JD](/source/Juris_Doctor))<br>[Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University_Graduate_School_of_Journalism) ([MA](/source/Master_of_Arts))
| birth_place = [Flint, Michigan](/source/Flint%2C_Michigan), U.S.
| party       = [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States))
}}

'''Matthew N. Latimer''' is an American attorney, businessman, and former political speechwriter. Latimer is a founding partner of Javelin, a literary and creative agency located in [Alexandria, Virginia](/source/Alexandria%2C_Virginia), that offers representation, digital, and public relations services.<ref name="washingtonian">{{cite news |date=February 6, 2015 |title=Meet the Former Rumsfeld Aides Who Want to Blow Up DC's Book Business |url=https://washingtonian.com/2015/02/06/former-rumsfeld-aides-dc-book-business/ |newspaper=Washingtonian }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Matt Latimer / Founder |url=http://javelindc.com/teammates/matt-latimer/ |agency=Javelin }}</ref> He also served in a variety of appointments during [George W. Bush administration](/source/George_W._Bush_administration).

==Early life and education==
Latimer was born and raised in [Flint, Michigan](/source/Flint%2C_Michigan).<ref>{{Cite web|author=Politico Staff|title=BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Matt Latimer, partner at Javelin|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/30/playbook-birthday-matt-latimer-091004|access-date=2020-06-22|website=POLITICO|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Latimer|first=Matt|date=2016-01-21|title=Opinion {{!}} Republicans Ignore a Poisoned City|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/opinion/republicans-ignore-a-poisoned-city.html|access-date=2020-06-22|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> His parents were both educators.<ref name="Anna Sproul and Matthew Latimer">{{Cite news|date=2012-07-29|title=Anna Sproul and Matthew Latimer|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/fashion/weddings/anna-sproul-matthew-latimer-weddings.html|access-date=2020-06-22|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the [University of Michigan](/source/University_of_Michigan), Master of Arts from the [Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism](/source/Columbia_University_Graduate_School_of_Journalism), and a [Juris Doctor](/source/Juris_Doctor) from the [University of Michigan Law School](/source/University_of_Michigan_Law_School).<ref name="WhiteHouse20070320">
{{cite web
| url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070320-1.html
| title=Personnel Announcement 
| publisher=[The White House](/source/The_White_House)
| date=March 20, 2007
| access-date=July 25, 2007
}}</ref>

== Career ==
Latimer began his career as a Special Assistant to Senator [Spencer Abraham](/source/Spencer_Abraham), (R-MI). During his serving working Abraham's office, Latimer was a coworker of [Ann Coulter](/source/Ann_Coulter). He then served as Press Secretary to U.S. Rep [Nick Smith](/source/Nick_Smith_(U.S._politician)) (R-MI) before moving on to become a spokesman for Senator [Jon Kyl](/source/Jon_Kyl) (R-AZ) from 2001 to 2004. He then became a speechwriter for [Donald Rumsfeld](/source/Donald_Rumsfeld) at the [Department of Defense](/source/United_States_Department_of_Defense).<ref name="WhiteHouse20070320" /><ref name="KYL">[http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/08/09/20090809nowicki0809.html Pre-publication tizzy over book grips D.C.], August 9, 2009, ''[Arizona Republic](/source/Arizona_Republic)''.</ref><ref name="METALK" />

In 2006, Latimer was identified by the ''[Washington Post](/source/Washington_Post)'' as "director of the Pentagon writers group" and as the principal author of a 2006 Department of Defense document entitled "Ten facts about [Guantanamo](/source/Guantanamo)".<ref name="WashingtonPost20060915">
{{cite news
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401478.html
| title=10 Things to Know About Guantanamo
| newspaper=[Washington Post](/source/Washington_Post)
| author=Al Kamen
| author-link=Al Kamen
| date= September 15, 2006
| access-date=September 15, 2007
}}</ref><ref name="DoD20060914">
{{cite web
| url=http://www.defenselink.mil/home/dodupdate/For-the-record/documents/20060914.html
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214182556/http://www.defenselink.mil/home/dodupdate/For-the-record/documents/20060914.html
| url-status=dead
| archive-date=December 14, 2006
| publisher=[Department of Defense](/source/United_States_Department_of_Defense)
| date=September 14, 2006
| title=Ten Facts about Guantanamo
| access-date=July 25, 2007
}}</ref>

On March 20, 2007, President [George W. Bush](/source/George_W._Bush) announced the appointment of Latimer as Special Assistant to the President for Speechwriting.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Andy Barr|title=Bush vets: Who is Matt Latimer?|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/09/bush-vets-who-is-matt-latimer-027269|access-date=2020-06-22|website=POLITICO|language=en}}</ref> Latimer resigned in October 2008.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Latimer|first=Matt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qEsdMIXPMrYC|title=Speechless|date=2009|publisher=Crown Publishers|isbn=978-0-307-46372-2|language=en}}</ref>

In September 2009, ''[GQ](/source/GQ)'' magazine's October edition published lengthy excerpts from Latimer's book about his time as Bush's speechwriter, ''Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor.'' Titled "Me Talk Presidential One Day", the article recounts Latimer's befuddlement at what he saw as incompetent and uninformed decision-making during the economic crisis of 2008 on the part of Bush and Bush's staff, particularly Secretary of the Treasury [Hank Paulson](/source/Hank_Paulson).<ref name="METALK">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.gq.com/news-politics/politics/200909/george-w-bush-matt-latimer-speechwriter-economy-bailout |title=Me Talk Presidential One Day |date=September 2009 |magazine=GQ}}</ref> The book cites Latimer's interpretations of Bush's remarks and comments made to his staff about political figures such as [Nancy Pelosi](/source/Nancy_Pelosi), [Hillary Clinton](/source/Hillary_Clinton), [John McCain](/source/John_McCain), [Barack Obama](/source/Barack_Obama), [Joe Biden](/source/Joe_Biden) and [Sarah Palin](/source/Sarah_Palin).<ref name="METALK" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Matt Latimer, Struck 'Speech-Less' By The D.C. Noise|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113055346|access-date=2020-06-22|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref>

In a September 22, 2009 ''Wall Street Journal'' op-ed titled "When Speechwriters Kiss and Tell," Latimer's former White House boss, [William McGurn](/source/William_McGurn), questions Latimer's motives and challenges many of the claims made in the book.<ref>{{cite news |last=McGurn |first=William |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204488304574427293627179018?mod=djemEditorialPage |title=When Speechwriters Kiss and Tell |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=September 22, 2009}}</ref>

After leaving the [Bush administration](/source/George_W._Bush_administration), Latimer has worked as a literary agent and co-founded Javelin, a literary and creative agency. Latimer worked as the agent for the anonymous author of a Trump administration insider's exposé, ''[A Warning](/source/A_Warning_(book))'', released in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/donald-trump-anonymous-new-york-times-op-ed-1202766294/|title=Anonymous Senior Official To Publish Tell-All Book On Donald Trump|last=Johnson|first=Ted|date=October 22, 2019|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Latimer married Anna (née Sproul) in 2012. Sproul is a literary agent and graduate of [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) and the [University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford).<ref name="Anna Sproul and Matthew Latimer"/><ref>{{Cite news|last=Pappu|first=Sridhar|date=2016-08-13|title=He Likes Trump. She Doesn't. Can This Marriage Be Saved?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/fashion/marriage-politics-donald-trump-hillary-clinton.html|access-date=2020-06-22|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{wikisource|works=or}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Latimer, Matt}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Living people
Category:American speechwriters
Category:American lawyers
Category:University of Michigan Law School alumni
Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Matt Latimer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Latimer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Latimer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.