Thomas Byrne Edsall (born August 22, 1941) is an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and academic. He is best known for his weekly opinion column for ''

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 ...

.'' Previously, he worked as a reporter for ''

The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four ...

'' and for ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'', and as a correspondent for ''

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 ...

''. In addition, he spent 25 years covering national politics for the ''Washington Post''. He held the Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Chair at the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sch ...

until 2014.

Early life and family

Edsall was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of Richard Linn Edsall, a market research executive, and Katherine Byrne, a museum executive. Edsall is the grandson of David Linn Edsall, who served as Dean of the

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

from 1918 to 1935. He is the nephew of John Tileston Edsall, a noted protein scientist and professor at

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 ...

and Geoffrey Edsall, the former president of the

American Association of Immunologists American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

. He attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

before receiving his B.A. from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in 1966.

Career

Edsall served as a VISTA volunteer from 1966 to 1967 and he wrote for ''

'' in 1965. Edsall covered politics for ''

'' from 1967 to 1981; and he covered national politics for the ''Washington Post'' from 1981 to 2006. He was the political editor of the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'' from 2007 to 2009, a correspondent for ''

'' from 2006 to 2013 and for the ''

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes ...

'' from 2006 to 2007. In November and December 2006, Edsall was a guest columnist for the print edition of the ''New York Times'' Op-Ed page. From 2006 to 2014, Edsall served as the Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor of Public Affairs Journalism at the

, where he continues to teach in an adjunct capacity. From 2011 to the present he has been a weekly opinion columnist for the ''New York Times''. He makes occasional TV and radio appearances on CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC, PBS, FOX, and NPR.

Personal life

Edsall is married and lives in New York and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, with his wife, Mary (daughter of

Karl Deutsch Karl Wolfgang Deutsch (21 July 1912 – 1 November 1992) was a Czech social and political scientist. He was a professor at MIT, Yale University and Harvard University, as well as Director of WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Deutsch studied war ...

), with whom he co-authored the book ''Chain Reaction,'' a 1992

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

finalist in general nonfiction. The couple has one daughter, Alexandra, a graduate of

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

and former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Awards and fellowships

* Shapiro Fellowship, School of Media and Public Affairs,

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

(2015) * Markwell Award of the

International Society of Political Psychology The International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP) is an interdisciplinary not-for-profit organization, representing all fields of enquiry involved with the exploration of relationships between both psychological and political processes and ...

(2014) * Finalist, General Nonfiction,

, 1992, for ''Chain Reaction: The Impact on American Politics of Race, Rights and Taxes'' (W.W. Norton) * Bill Pryor Memorial Award, Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, 1981 * Carey McWilliams Award,

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, it publishes four ...

, 1994 * Fellowship at the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topi ...

1996–1997 * Media Fellow at the

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and formerly The Hoover Institute and Library on War, Revolution, and Peace) is an American public policy think tank which promotes personal and economic ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, 1997, 2000, 2003–2006, 2010–2012

Works

* * * * * *—— (April 11, 2023).
The Point of No Return: American Democracy at the Crossroads.
' Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-16489-2.

References

External links

''New York Times'' columns
*
A War of All Against All; Are Democrats and Republicans now engaged in a 'death struggle' over dwindling resources, making gridlock and dysfunction more likely?
by W. James Antle III January 10, 2012, a ''The Age of Austerity'' '' WSJ'' book review
"What Became of the Democrats"
by David Oshinsky

by Thomas Byrne Edsall
"The Wind that Blew in Reagan"
by Murray Kempton

by Mark Schmitt January 20, 2012 '' NYT'' book review
Collected columns from ''The New Republic''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edsall, Thomas Byrne 1941 births Living people American male journalists Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism faculty Writers from Cambridge, Massachusetts Journalists from Washington, D.C. HuffPost writers and columnists Journalists from Massachusetts 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers