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 | Democratic |
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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 writer and historian. She is known for writing books about many U.S. presidents.
Her book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995. This is a very important award for history books! She also helped create TV shows like the miniseries Washington. In 2022, she was an executive producer for "Abraham Lincoln" on the History Channel. This show was based on her book Leadership in Turbulent Times.
Contents
Growing Up and School
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. Her family raised her as a Catholic. Her grandparents came from Ireland.
She grew up in Rockville Centre, New York. She went to South Side High School there. Her book Wait Till Next Year is about her childhood in Rockville Centre.
Doris went to Colby College in Maine. She studied hard and graduated with high honors in 1964. Later, in 1968, she earned her PhD in government from Harvard University.
Her Amazing Career
Working with President Johnson
In 1967, Doris Kearns worked in Washington, D.C., as a White House Fellow. This was during the time Lyndon B. Johnson was president. President Johnson first wanted her to be his assistant.
However, Doris had written an article about the Vietnam War. In the article, she suggested ways for President Johnson to leave office. She thought she would be removed from the program. But instead, she was assigned to the Department of Labor.
Doris later wrote that President Johnson said, "Oh, bring her down here for a year. If I can't win her over, no one can." After Johnson decided not to run for president again, he asked Doris to work with him. She helped him with his efforts to fight poverty.
Teaching and Writing Books
After President Johnson left office in 1969, Doris taught government at Harvard University for ten years. She taught a class about American presidents. During this time, she also helped President Johnson write his memoirs.
Her first book, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, came out in 1977. It was a biography based on her talks with the late president. The book became a bestseller and started her writing career.
Sports and TV Appearances
Doris Kearns Goodwin was also a sports journalist. In 1979, she was the first woman to enter the Boston Red Sox locker room. She also helped with and appeared in Ken Burns' 1994 documentary Baseball.
She often appears on TV shows like Meet the Press. She has been a guest many times to talk about politics and history. She also appeared on Charlie Rose many times.
In 2016, she appeared as herself in an episode of American Horror Story: Roanoke. She also had a small role as a teacher in The Simpsons episode "The Town".
Awards and Famous Books
Doris Goodwin won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for History for her book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front During World War II.
In 2005, she won the Lincoln Prize for Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. This book is about Abraham Lincoln's team of advisors. Part of this book was used to create the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's 2012 movie Lincoln.
In 2014, she won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction for The Bully Pulpit. This book was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
In April 2024, her new book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, was published.
Her Personal Life
Doris grew up on Long Island and loved the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. She remembers her father asking her to write down what happened in a baseball game from the radio. Then she would "replay" the game for him when he came home.
She stopped following baseball when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. But later, while at Harvard, she became a fan of the Boston Red Sox. She even has season tickets now!
In 1975, Doris married Richard N. Goodwin. He was an advisor and speechwriter for presidents Kennedy and Johnson. They met in 1972 at Harvard. Richard had a son from his first marriage, also named Richard. Doris and Richard had two sons together, Michael and Joseph. Richard Goodwin passed away in 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Doris Kearns Goodwin para niños
