White, Margita Eklund, 1937-2002

Margita Eklund White was born on June 27, 1937 in Linkoping, Sweden. In 1959 she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Government from the University of Redlands in California, and she received an M.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University in 1960. In 1960 she served as assistant to the press secretary on the Richard Nixon Presidential Campaign, and from 1961 to 1962 she was an administrative assistant at the Whitaker and Baxter advertising agency in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 1963, she was the Minority press secretary for the Hawaii House of Representatives. From 1963 to 1964, she was a research aide for U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, and a research associate for the Republican National Committee. She continued her work as a research assistant, working for the Free Society Association from 1965 to 1966, and columnist Raymond Moley from 1967 to 1969. White began working at the White House in 1969, as Assistant to Herbert G. Klein, Director of Communications at the White House. She served in this position until 1973, when she became Assistant Director for Public Information at the United States Information Agency, 1973 to 1975.

White served as Assistant Press Secretary to the President, January 1975 to July 1976. She also served as Director of the Office of Communications during the Ford administration, from the summer of 1975 to 1976. After leaving the White House, she was Commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission from 1976 to 1979, and Director then Vice Chair of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1979 to 1982. From 1979 to 1988 she was a communications consultant and corporate director. After 1988 she was President of the Association for Maximum Service Television.