Morton Mintz, investigative consumer advocate, dies at 103
Morton Mintz, a pioneering investigative journalist known for exposing the dangers of prescription drugs like thalidomide and the Dalkon Shield, and for holding the auto industry accountable, died Monday at his home in Washington at the age of 103. His son, Daniel Mintz, confirmed his death.
Mintz spent three decades reporting for The Washington Post and authored ten books focused on corporate wrongdoing and government failures. Among his most notable works was revealing that General Motors had employed detectives to surveil consumer advocate Ralph Nader after the publication of Nader’s influential 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, which criticized the safety of GM’s Chevrolet Corvair. Nader praised Mintz for his dedication to exposing consumer and worker harms, calling him a champion for justice, and “information is the currency of democracy.”
Born in 1922 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Lithuanian Jewish immigrant parents, Mintz graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1943 before serving in the Navy during World War II, including participation in the D-Day invasion. After the war, he began his journalism career in St. Louis, exposing the mistreatment of people with intellectual disabilities before joining The Washington Post in 1958.
Mintz’s groundbreaking reporting on thalidomide in 1962 revealed that thousands of European children were born with deformities linked to the drug, which had not been approved in the U.S. due to the efforts of FDA medical officer Frances O. Kelsey. His coverage helped prompt congressional hearings that led to tougher drug safety laws requiring proof of safety and efficacy before approval, informed consent during trials, and mandatory reporting of adverse drug reactions. This reporting marked a turning point in Mintz’s career and fueled his lifelong passion for exposing corporate abuse and government negligence.
His books, including The Therapeutic Nightmare (1965) and At Any Cost: Corporate Greed, Women and the Dalkon Shield (1985), challenged pharmaceutical and corporate practices, highlighting dangers posed to consumers, especially women, by unsafe drugs and medical devices. He also exposed conflicts of interest in organizations like the ACLU regarding tobacco industry funding.
Beyond his reporting, Mintz advocated for greater public accountability of corporations and supported investigative journalism through leadership roles in nonprofit organizations. He received numerous awards, including the Heywood Broun and George Polk Memorial Awards.
Morton Mintz married Anita Inez Franz in 1946; she passed away in 2015. He is survived by their son Daniel, daughters Margaret and Roberta, 10 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Another daughter, Elizabeth, died in 1979.
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