Robert Jacob Samuelson (born December 23, 1945) was a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

journalist for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', where he wrote about business and economic issues from 1977 to 2020. He was a columnist for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' magazine from 1984 to 2011.

Career

He began his career in journalism as a reporter on the business desk of ''The Washington Post'' in 1969 and left the paper to become a freelancer in 1973. His work has appeared in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

'' and the '' Columbia Journalism Review''. He joined the '' National Journal'' in 1976, where he wrote the "Economic Focus" column. He was a contributing editor there from 1981 to 1984, when he left to write for ''Newsweek''.Newsweek: Robert Samuelson: Contributing Editor: Newsweek
, MSNBC, May 14, 2004. Accessed September 23, 2006. At age 75, Samuelson posted his last op-ed article in ''The Washington Post'' on September 14, 2020.

Personal life

Samuelson was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and raised in nearby White Plains, New York. He received his bachelor's degree in 1967 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he concentrated in government.Robert J. Samuelson
, "The Business News Luminaries" website of the "TJFR Group". Accessed September 23, 2006. He and his wife, Judith Herr, live in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

and have three children.

Journalism awards

Samuelson has received: *1993 John Hancock Award for Best Business and Financial Columnist *National Headliner Award for Feature Column on a Single Subject in both 1992 and 1993; another in 1987 for Best Special Interest Column * Gerald Loeb Awards for Commentary in 1994, 1986 and 1983; Loeb finalist in 1988 for his columns on the October 1987 Wall Street crash *An Alicia Patterson Journalism FellowshipAlicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship
/ref> in 1982 to research and write about the changes in the U.S. economy since World War II. *1981 National Magazine Award

Books by Samuelson

*''The Good Life and Its Discontents: The American Dream in the Age of Entitlement'', (Random House: 1995) 368 pages, *''Untruth: Why the Conventional Wisdom Is (Almost Always) Wrong'', (Random House: 2001) 304 pages (trade paperback edition) *''The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: The Past and Future of American Affluence'', (Random House: 2008) 336 pages

Notes

External links

*
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Samuelson, January 2, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuelson, Robert J. 1945 births Living people Harvard University alumni American male journalists American columnists American economics writers Newsweek people The Washington Post people Gerald Loeb Award winners for Columns, Commentary, and Editorials