George Will facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Will
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Will in 2022
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| Born |
George Frederick Will
May 4, 1941 Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
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| Education | Trinity College (BA) Magdalen College, Oxford (MA) Princeton University (MA, PhD) |
| Occupation |
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| Employer | Newsweek The Washington Post |
| Political party | Republican (before 2016) Independent (after 2016) |
| Spouse(s) |
Madeleine Will
(m. 1967; div. 1989)Mari Maseng
(m. 1991) |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (1977) |
George Frederick Will (born May 4, 1941) is a well-known American writer and political commentator. A commentator is someone who shares their opinions on politics and current events. He is famous for his regular columns in The Washington Post and for his commentary on the TV channel NewsNation.
For his writing, Will won the important Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1977. In 1986, The Wall Street Journal called him "perhaps the most powerful journalist in America."
For many years, Will was a member of the Republican Party. He was a strong supporter of Ronald Reagan and helped him prepare for a presidential debate in 1980. However, Will later became a critic of some Republican politicians, including Donald Trump. Because he disagreed with Trump, Will left the Republican Party in 2016 to become an independent. He later supported Joe Biden in the 2020 election and Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
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Early Life and Schooling
George Will was born on May 4, 1941, in Champaign, Illinois. His father was a philosophy professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Will graduated from high school in 1959.
After high school, Will went to Trinity College and earned a degree in religion. He then studied at Magdalen College, Oxford in England. Later, he attended Princeton University, where he earned a PhD in political science in 1968. A PhD is the highest degree a person can get from a university.
From 1970 to 1972, Will worked for Republican Senator Gordon Allott of Colorado. He also taught political philosophy at several universities, including Michigan State University, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University.
Career as a Journalist
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Will's journalism career took off in the 1970s. He was an editor for the magazine National Review from 1972 to 1978. In 1974, he began writing a column for The Washington Post. His column was syndicated, which means it was published in hundreds of newspapers across the country.
In 1977, Will won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. His columns are known for their smart vocabulary and references to history and philosophy. He also frequently writes about his love for baseball. Besides his newspaper columns, Will has written several books about politics and two popular books about baseball.
Over the years, Will has also been a familiar face on television. He was a founding member of the panel on ABC's This Week show in 1981. He has also worked as a contributor for Fox News, MSNBC, and NBC News. Since 2022, he has been a senior political contributor at NewsNation.
The 1980 Reagan-Carter Debate
In 1980, Will helped Ronald Reagan get ready for a major televised debate against President Jimmy Carter. This event became a controversial part of his career.
Right after the debate, Will appeared on the TV show Nightline to discuss it. He praised Reagan's performance but did not tell the audience that he had helped Reagan prepare. Many people felt this was inappropriate for a journalist, who is expected to be objective.
Years later, this event became part of a bigger story known as Debategate. President Carter accused Will of being involved with a stolen briefing book from his campaign. However, Will denied this. Carter later took back his accusation and apologized to Will.
Political Beliefs
George Will is known as a libertarian-style conservative. This means he generally believes in less government involvement in people's lives and in the economy.
Government and the Economy
Will supports lower taxes and fewer government rules on businesses. He believes this helps the economy grow. He also supports ending the minimum wage. He has suggested that the government should break up very large banks to prevent them from becoming "too big to fail."
Social Topics
On social issues, Will has a mix of views. He is against the death penalty. He believes that people who have served time for crimes should have their voting rights restored. He is also skeptical of affirmative action programs, which are designed to help groups that have faced discrimination.
Personal Life
Will has four children. He has three children from his first marriage to Madeleine Will: Victoria, Geoffrey, and Jonathan. His oldest son, Jonathan, was born with Down syndrome, and Will has sometimes written about his experiences as a father in his columns.
In 1991, Will married Mari Maseng. They have one son, David. Maseng is a political consultant and speechwriter who has worked for several Republican politicians, including Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole.
Will has described himself as a "low-voltage atheist," meaning he does not believe in God.
Love of Baseball
Will is a huge baseball fan. His favorite teams are the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals. He has written two popular books about the sport, including the bestseller Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball. He was also interviewed for the famous PBS documentary series Baseball by Ken Burns.
Awards and Recognition
George Will has received many awards and more than 16 honorary degrees. Some of his major honors include:
- 1977: Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
- 1991: Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism
- 1992: Madison Medal Award from Princeton University
- 2006: Champion of Liberty Award from the Goldwater Institute
- 2019: Order of Lincoln, the highest honor given by the State of Illinois
Selected Books
- The Pursuit of Happiness and Other Sobering Thoughts (1978)
- Statecraft as Soulcraft: What Government Does (1983)
- Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball (1990)
- Restoration: Congress, Term Limits and the Recovery of Deliberative Democracy (1992)
- Bunts: Pete Rose, Curt Flood, Camden Yards and Other Reflections on Baseball (1997)
- One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation (2008)
- A Nice Little Place on the North Side: Wrigley Field at One Hundred (2014)
- The Conservative Sensibility (2019)
See also
In Spanish: George Will para niños
