Gerald Norman Springer February 13, β April 27, was an American broadcaster, journalist, actor, lawyer, and politician. Springer was noted as a pioneer in the emergence of " trash TV "; his eponymous show was a "commercial smash and certifiable cultural phenomenon" in the s. He attended Northwestern University School of Law , qualified as a lawyer, and first became actively involved in politics working for the campaign of Robert Kennedy in He then worked as a local news anchor in Cincinnati where he won ten Regional Emmy Awards for commentary.
He was the host of the television talent show America's Got Talent from to , and of the television courtroom show Judge Jerry from to He also hosted The Jerry Springer Podcast from to One year after he retired from his television career, Springer died of pancreatic cancer on April 27, , at the age of He attended nearby Forest Hills High School. One of his earliest memories about current events was when he was 12 and watching the Democratic National Convention on television where he saw and was impressed by then-Senator John F.
Springer earned a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in , majoring in political science. Springer worked as a political campaign adviser to Democrat Robert F. Kennedy in He failed to unseat incumbent Republican Donald D. He had previously spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age, including testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of ratification of the 26th Amendment.
Three days after announcing his candidacy, Springer, who was also an Army reservist at the time, was called to active duty and stationed at Fort Knox. He resumed his campaign after he was discharged. Springer was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in In , Springer stepped down from his seat on the City Council to focus on running for governor of Ohio , [ 27 ] seeking the Democratic nomination in the Ohio gubernatorial election.
Television commercials for Springer's campaign referenced his use of a check to pay a prostitute, saying that he was not afraid of the truth "even if it hurts.
