Doris Kearns Goodwin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Doris Kearns Goodwin
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Goodwin at the 2024 National Book Festival
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Doris Helen Kearns
January 4, 1943 New York City, U.S.
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| Years active | 1977–present |
| Political party | Goodwin's party alignment has not been explicitly stated. |
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| Children | 3 |
| Awards | National Humanities Medal (1996) |
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Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin, born on January 4, 1943, is a famous American historian and author. She writes books about important people and events in history. She is well-known for writing biographies of many U.S. presidents. Her book, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995. This award is given for excellent historical writing.
Goodwin also helped create the TV miniseries Washington. She was an executive producer for "Abraham Lincoln," a TV show from 2022 on the History Channel. This show was based on her book, Leadership in Turbulent Times.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Doris Helen Kearns was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Helen Witt and Michael Francis Aloysius Kearns. She has two sisters, Charlotte and Jeanne. She grew up in a Catholic family. Her grandparents on her father's side came from Ireland.
She spent her childhood in Rockville Centre, New York. She graduated from South Side High School there. Her book Wait Till Next Year is about her early life in Rockville Centre.
Doris went to Colby College in Maine. She studied political science and graduated with high honors in 1964. She then received a special fellowship to continue her studies. In 1968, she earned her PhD from Harvard University. Her advanced degree was in government.
Career and Achievements
In 1967, Doris Kearns went to Washington, D.C. She was a White House Fellow during the time Lyndon B. Johnson was president. President Johnson first wanted her to be his assistant. However, she had written an article about how Johnson might be removed from office. This article was about his actions during the Vietnam War.
Because of the article, she was assigned to the Department of Labor instead. Goodwin later wrote that she was happy to stay in the program at all. Johnson said, "Bring her down here for a year, and if I can't win her over, no one can." After Johnson decided not to run for president again, he brought Kearns to the White House. She worked on programs to help people who were struggling.
Teaching and First Book
After President Johnson left office in 1969, Kearns taught government at Harvard. She taught there for ten years, including a class on the American presidency. During her time at Harvard, she also helped Johnson write his memoirs.
Her first book, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, was published in 1977. This book was a biography based on her talks with the former president. It became a New York Times bestseller. This success helped start her career as an author.
Sports and Documentaries
Goodwin also worked as a sports journalist. In 1979, she was the first woman allowed into the Boston Red Sox locker room. She also helped with and appeared in Ken Burns' 1994 documentary called Baseball.
Pulitzer Prize and Other Awards
Goodwin won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for History. She received it for her book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front During World War II.
In 1996, she received the Golden Plate Award. This award is from the American Academy of Achievement. She has also received honorary degrees from several colleges.
Television Appearances and Lincoln's Legacy
Goodwin was on TV talking to Tom Brokaw during the 2000 Presidential election night coverage. Brokaw announced that Florida had voted for George W. Bush.
Goodwin won the 2005 Lincoln Prize for her book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. This book is about Abraham Lincoln's presidential cabinet. Parts of the book were used to create the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's 2012 film Lincoln. She was also on the advisory board for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
Goodwin is often a guest on the TV show Meet the Press. She has appeared many times with different hosts. She was also a regular guest on Charlie Rose.
In 2014, Kearns won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. This was for her book The Bully Pulpit. It was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
In 2016, she appeared as herself in an episode of American Horror Story: Roanoke. She also made a cameo appearance as a teacher in The Simpsons episode "The Town". In April 2024, her new book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, was published.
Personal Life
Growing up on Long Island, Goodwin was a big fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. She remembers her father asking her to listen to baseball games on the radio. Then, she would "replay" the game for him when he came home. Goodwin stopped following baseball after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Later, she became a Boston Red Sox fan while at Harvard. She now has season tickets to their games.
In 1975, Kearns married Richard N. Goodwin. He had worked as an adviser and speechwriter for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. They met in 1972 at Harvard's Institute of Politics. Richard Goodwin had a son named Richard from his first marriage. When he and Kearns married, his son was nine years old. Doris and Richard had two sons together, Michael and Joseph. Richard Goodwin passed away on May 20, 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Doris Kearns Goodwin para niños
