Biography of Charles Krauthammer

Winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, Charles Krauthammer writes a syndicated column for the Washington Post that appears in over 150 newspapers worldwide. He also writes a monthly essay for Time magazine, is a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard and The New Republic, serves on the editorial boards of The National Interest and The Public Interest, and is a weekly panelist on Inside Washington and a contributor to FOX News.

For two decades, Krauthammer’s influential writings have helped frame the shape of American foreign policy. He coined and developed The Reagan Doctrine (Time, April 1985), defined the structure of the post-Cold War world in The Unipolar Moment (Foreign Affairs, 1990/1991), and outlined the principles of post-9/11 American foreign policy in his Irving Kristol Lecture, Democratic Realism (AEI Press, March 2004).

Born in New York City and raised in Montreal, Krauthammer was educated at McGill University (B.A. 1970), Oxford University (Commonwealth Scholar in Politics) and Harvard (M.D. 1975). While a resident and then chief resident in psychiatry at Mass General Hospital, he published scientific papers, including his co-discovery of a form of bipolar disease, that continue to be cited in psychiatric literature.

In 1978, Charles Krauthammer quit medicine, came to Washington to direct planning in psychiatric research in the Carter administration, and began contributing articles to The New Republic. During the Presidential campaign of 1980, he served as a speechwriter to Vice President Walter Mondale. He joined The New Republic as a writer and editor in 1981. His New Republic writings won the 1984 National Magazine Award for Essays and Criticism, the highest award in magazine journalism.

In 2001, Dr. Krauthammer was appointed to the President’s Council on Bioethics. He has been honored by many organizations, including the Center for Security Policy (Mighty Pen Award) and People for the American Way (First Amendment Award). In 2003 he was a recipient of the first annual Bradley Prize.

Charles Krauthammer is a founding board member of Washington’s Shoresh Hebrew High School and president of The Krauthammer Foundation. He serves as chairman of Pro Musica Hebraica, a society founded by his wife, Robyn, dedicated to the rediscovery of classical Jewish music. He lives in suburban Washington with Robyn, an artist. Their son, Daniel, is a student at Harvard University.