Leslie Hunter Whitten Jr. was born in Jacksonville, Florida on February 21, 1928. He received a degree in English and journalism from Lehigh University in 1950. He was a reporter for Radio Free Europe, International News Service, United Press International, The Washington Post, and the Hearst newspaper chain. He shared a byline with Jack Anderson on the nationally syndicated newspaper column, Washington Merry-Go-Round, that exposed Washington's foibles and frauds. They worked full-time together from 1969 to 1978.
Whitten wrote several novels including Moon of the Wolf, The Alchemist, Conflict of Interest, and Moses: The Lost Book of the Bible. He also wrote the biography F. Lee Bailey. He died from sepsis on December 2, 2017 at the age of 89.
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