Ronald Chernow (; born March 3, 1949) is an American writer, journalist, and biographer. He has written bestselling historical non-fiction biographies.
Chernow won the
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the 2011
American History Book Prize for his 2010 book ''
Washington: A Life''. He is also the recipient of the
National Book Award for Nonfiction for his 1990 book ''
The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance''.
His biographies of
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
(2004) and
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...
(1998) were both nominated for
National Book Critics Circle Awards. His biography of Hamilton inspired the popular ''
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
'' musical, which Chernow worked on as a historical consultant. For another book, ''The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family'', he was awarded the 1993 George S. Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing. As a freelance journalist, Chernow has written over sixty articles for various national publications.
Early life and education
Chernow was born on March 3, 1949, in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York. His father, Israel, was the owner of a discount store and creator of a stock brokerage firm; his mother, Ruth, was a
bookkeeper. He is brother to Bart Chernow and uncle to Shandee Chernow. He is of
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
descent. Chernow was voted "Most Likely to Succeed", and was class president and valedictorian when he graduated in 1966 from
Forest Hills High School in
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
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 ...
. Chernow graduated ''
summa cum laude'' from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
in 1970 and
Pembroke College at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
with degrees in English literature. He began but did not finish a PhD program. He says that in politics he is a "disgruntled Democrat" and gives his religion as "Jewish, though more in the breach than the observance."
["Ron Chernow" in '' Contemporary Authors Online'' (Gale, 2011)]
Chernow married Valerie Stearn in 1979; she died in January 2006. Valerie S. Chernow was an assistant professor of languages and social sciences at the
New York City College of Technology.
Career
Chernow began his career as a freelance journalist. He wrote more than 60 articles for various national newspapers and magazines from 1973 to 1982. In the mid-1980s, he put his writing pursuits aside when he began serving as the director of financial policy studies with the
Twentieth Century Fund 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 ...
. In 1986, he left the organization and refocused his efforts on writing. In addition to writing nonfiction books and biographies, Chernow contributes articles to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
''. He has also commented on business, politics, and finance on national radio and television shows, and appeared as an expert in documentary films.
Business and finance
''The House of Morgan''
In 1990, Chernow published his first book, ''
The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance'', which traces four generations of the
J.P. Morgan financial empire. The reviewer for ''
The New York Times Book Review'' said, "As a portrait of finance, politics and the world of avarice and ambition on Wall Street, the book has the movement and tension of an epic novel. It is, quite simply, a ''tour de force''." ''The House of Morgan'' was honored with the
National Book Award for Nonfiction.
[
]
''The Warburgs''
In 1993, Chernow published ''The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family'', an account of the Warburg family, who immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1938. The Warburg family was a prominent financial dynasty of German Jewish descent, known for their accomplishments in physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
, classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
, art history
Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Tradit ...
, pharmacology
Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...
, physiology
Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
, finance
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
, private equity
Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...
, and philanthropy
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
. The book was awarded the Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and one of ...
's George S. Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing. It was named as one of the year's ten best works by the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
and a Notable Book by ''The New York Times''.
''The Death of the Banker''
In 1997, Chernow published a collection of essays entitled ''The Death of the Banker: The Decline and Fall of the Great Financial Dynasties and the Triumph of the Small Investor.''
''Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.''
In 1998, Chernow published the 774-page '' Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.'', about the industrialist, philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
, and founder of the Standard Oil Company
Standard Oil Company was a corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. The ...
. The book reflected Chernow's continued interest in financial history, especially when shaped by compelling and influential individuals. The book remained on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for 16 weeks, while ''Time'' called it "one of the great American biographies". Both publications listed it among the year's ten best books''.''
American politics
''Alexander Hamilton''
In 2004, Chernow published ''Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
''. The biography was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award and was named as the winner of the inaugural George Washington Book Prize for early American history. It remained on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for three months. In his review for the '' Journal of American History'', Stephen B. Presser, who is professor of business law emeritus at Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
, wrote:
The biography was adapted into a Tony award-winning musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
, ''Hamilton'', by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which opened on Broadway in August 2015. Chernow served as historical consultant to the production.
George Washington
Chernow's 904-page '' Washington: A Life'' was released on October 5, 2010. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the American History Book Prize. Professor Gordon S. Wood, renowned scholar of the Founding era, wrote:
Ulysses S. Grant
In 2011, Chernow signed a deal to write a comprehensive biography on Ulysses S. Grant. Chernow explained his transition from writing about George Washington to Grant: "Makes some sense as progression. Towering general of Revolution to towering general of Civil War. Both two-term presidents, though with very different results." '' Grant'' was released on October 10, 2017, and the biography strongly argues against the conventional wisdom that Grant was an "adequate president, a dull companion and a roaring drunk." The book received overwhelmingly positive reviews and was named by ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' as one of the 10 Best Books of 2017.
Board memberships
In 1990, Chernow became a member of the PEN American Center. In 2006, he was named as the President of the Board of Trustees, succeeding novelist Salman Rushdie
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...
.
Honors and awards
Ron Chernow has received honorary degrees from Long Island University, Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment.
Columbia University
Masters ...
, Hamilton College, Washington College, and Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a Private school, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,700 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Scien ...
.
* 1990: National Book Award for Nonfiction for '' The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance'' (winner)[
* 1993: George S. Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing for ''The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family'' (winner)
* 1998: National Book Critics Circle Award for '' Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.'' (nominated)]
* 2004: George Washington Book Prize for ''Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
'' (winner)[
* 2004: National Book Critics Circle Award for ''Alexander Hamilton'' (nominated)]
* 2011: Pulitzer Prize for Biography for '' Washington: A Life'' (winner)
* 2011: American History Book Prize for ''Washington: A Life'' (winner)
* 2013: BIO Award from Biographers International Organization for advancing the art and craft of biography.
* 2015: National Humanities Medal
*2016: Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Advancing American Democracy (winner)
*2017: Gold Medal Honoree from the National Institute of Social Sciences
*2017: The Lincoln Forum's Richard Nelson Current Award of Achievement
*2018: American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Biography
*2019: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
Published works
Books
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Articles
*
Filmography
* 1996: ''Biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...
'', "J. Pierpont Morgan: Emperor of Wall Street" (documentary), as himself
* 2000: '' The American Experience'', "The Rockefellers: Part 1" (documentary), as advisor
* 2000: ''The American Experience'', "The Rockefellers: Part 2" (documentary), as advisor
* 2007: ''The American Experience'', "Alexander Hamilton" (documentary), as advisor
* 2010: '' Tavis Smiley'', "October 12, 2010 episode" (talk show), as guest
* 2010: ''Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton'' (documentary), as himself/historian
* 2020: '' Grant'', as writer
References
Further reading
* "Ron Chernow" in ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (Gale, 2011)
*
External links
*
*
*
The Founding Fathers Versus the Tea Party
by Ron Chernow
*
Ron Chernow remarks at the Washington Press Corps Dinner 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernow, Ron
1949 births
Living people
20th-century American historians
20th-century American Jews
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American historians
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge
American male biographers
American male journalists
American male non-fiction writers
Historians from Brooklyn
Jewish American historians
Jewish American journalists
Jewish American non-fiction writers
Jews from New York (state)
Journalists from Brooklyn
Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
National Book Award winners
National Humanities Medal recipients
Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography winners
Writers from Brooklyn
Yale University alumni