Editor, Historian, Author & Screenwriter

New York, NY, USA
Live Event: Please Contact Virtual Event: Please Contact More Fee Info

Geoffrey C. Ward Biography

Geoffrey C. Ward was born in Newark, Ohio, in 1940 and grew up on the south side of Chicago and in New Delhi, India. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1962, with a bachelor’s degree in studio art.

He was senior picture editor at Encyclopedia Britannica in Chicago during the mid-1960s, founding editor of Audience magazine from 1970 to 1973, and managing editor and editor of American Heritage magazine from 1977 to 1982. For fourteen years he wrote a monthly column for American Heritage called “The Life and Times.”

Ward has collaborated with Ken Burns since 1984 and has been the sole or principal script writer for Huey Long, Statue of Liberty; Thomas Hart Benton; The Civil War; Empire of the Air; The Men Who Made Radio; Baseball; The West; Thomas Jefferson; Frank Lloyd Wright; Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony; Jazz; Mark Twain; Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson; The War, and The Vietnam War. Ward also wrote or co-wrote companion volumes for ten of these series.

He was the principal or sole writer of Nixon; Lindbergh; Reminiscing in Tempo; The Kennedys; The Last Boss; TR; and Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided - all part of PBS’s “American Experience” series. For his work in documentary films, Ward has won two Writers’ Guild Awards, seven Christopher Awards, seven Emmys, and the Ian Clellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement in Writing conferred by the Writers' Guild.

Ward is also an independent historian and biographer, the author of nine other books, among them A First-Class Temperament: the Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt, which won the National Book Critics Circle and Los Angeles Times Awards for Best Biography, the Francis Parkman Award of the Society of American Historians in 1989, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is currently at work on a book about the Partition of India and writes frequently about Indian wildlife.

Geoffrey Ward lives in New York City with his wife, writer Diane Raines Ward.

BOOK Geoffrey C. Ward

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 02/04/2026.

Geoffrey C. Ward Videos

An evening with Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward at the ... - YouTube

An evening with Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward at the ... - YouTube

George Eastman House welcomed filmmaker Ken Burns and his longtime writing partner Geoffrey C. Ward to the Dryden Theatre on Friday ...

Geoffrey Ward: Revisiting the Roosevelts - YouTube

Geoffrey Ward: Revisiting the Roosevelts - YouTube

Screenwriter and historian Geoffrey C. Ward paints an extraordinarily vivid portrait of one of America's greatest political dynasties as ...

Behind Ken Burns' The American Revolution with Geoffrey C. Ward ...

Behind Ken Burns' The American Revolution with Geoffrey C. Ward ...

the principal script writer for Ken Burns' American Revolution Geoffrey C. Ward along with award-winning historian and consultant Rick ...

  • How do I book Geoffrey C. Ward to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Geoffrey C. Ward for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Geoffrey C. Ward, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Geoffrey C. Ward or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Geoffrey C. Ward

    Speaking fees for Geoffrey C. Ward, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Geoffrey C. Ward are available upon request for live events and available upon request for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Geoffrey C. Ward, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Geoffrey C. Ward speak about?

    Geoffrey C. Ward is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Author, History, Non-Fiction Authors, Television & Film
  • Where does Geoffrey C. Ward travel from?

    Geoffrey C. Ward generally travels from New York, NY, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Geoffrey C. Ward’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Geoffrey C. Ward for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Geoffrey C. Ward for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Geoffrey C. Ward or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Geoffrey C. Ward is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Geoffrey C. Ward for your event is available upon request. Geoffrey C. Ward generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Megan Kate Nelson, David Armitage, Eric Foner, Richard Bell and Jeffrey Engel. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Geoffrey C. Ward for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Tell us about your event!

During normal business hours, we respond to most inquiries within 4 hours.
Please Select Event Budget
Please enter your message
Please Enter Your Name
Please Enter Your Email
  • Customized Service

    Our agents find the right fit for your event

  • Unparalleled Database

    Full access to all speakers & celebrities

  • One Stop Shopping

    A reliable and unbiased point of contact

  • Logistics Management

    Your personal Logistics Manager who takes care of all event details

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

TOP