Richard A. Moore; Ex-Envoy to Ireland, Counsel to Nixon

Richard A. Moore, former U.S. ambassador to Ireland and special counsel to President Richard Nixon, is dead at age 81.

Moore, whose 49-year career wound through law, politics, broadcasting and two Republican administrations, died of cancer at his home here Friday.

Moore was named to the ambassador’s post in 1989 by former President George Bush and served until June, 1992. His brother, John D. J. Moore, served in the same post from 1970-1975, during the Nixon and Ford administrations.

Richard Moore had his own close association with Nixon, advising two of his presidential campaigns and serving as special assistant to Atty. Gen. John Mitchell in 1970 and 1971. He moved to the White House in 1971 to become Nixon’s special counsel during Watergate.

He later reprised his role as campaign adviser, working for then-Vice President Bush from 1980 to 1988.

Moore’s political work capped a 28-year career in communications, law and broadcasting. He was founder and associate producer of the “McLaughlin Group,” a public affairs television program. He also was an assistant general counsel to ABC.

From 1951 to 1962, Moore was president and chief executive officer of Times Mirror Broadcasting Co. In that post, he also served as general manager of television station KTTV when it was owned by Times Mirror, the same corporation that publishes The Times. Moore was elected to the board of directors of Times Mirror Co. in 1956.

He subsequently established and was president of Southwestern Cable Co., an early provider of cable television service in Southern California.

He received an Emmy award in 1984 for his work on the “McLaughlin Group.”

Born Jan. 23, 1914, in Albany, N.Y., Moore was educated at Yale College and Yale Law School. He is survived by his second wife, Esther, four sons, a daughter and seven grandchildren.

Funeral services were scheduled for Tuesday in Washington, D.C.