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Wikipedia

Walter Isaacson

Walter Seff Isaacson (born May 20, 1952) is an American author, journalist, and professor. He has been the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C., the chair and CEO of CNN, and the editor of Time.

Walter Isaacson
Isaacson in 2012
Born
Walter Seff Isaacson

(1952-05-20) May 20, 1952 (age 71)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Pembroke College, Oxford (BA)
Spouse
Cathy Wright
(m. 1984)
[1][2]
Children1
AwardsBenjamin Franklin Medal (2013)
Nichols-Chancellor's Medal (2015)
National Humanities Medal (2023)
Chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors
In office
July 2, 2010 – January 27, 2012
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJames K. Glassman
Succeeded byJeff Shell

Isaacson attended Harvard University and Pembroke College, Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He is the co-author with Evan Thomas of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986) and the author of Pro and Con (1983), Kissinger: A Biography (1992), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), American Sketches (2009), Steve Jobs (2011), The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution (2014), Leonardo da Vinci (2017), The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race (2021) and Elon Musk (2023).

Isaacson is a professor at Tulane University and an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg Partners, a New York City-based financial services firm.[3] He was vice chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which oversaw the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, chaired the government board that runs Voice of America, and was a member of the Defense Innovation Board.

Early life and education edit

Walter Seff Isaacson was born on May 20, 1952,[4][1] in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Jewish parents Betty "Betsy" Lee (née Seff) and Irwin Isaacson.[5][6][7] He attended New Orleans' Isidore Newman School, where he was student body president. He also attended the Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) at Deep Springs College.

Isaacson studied at Harvard University, where he majored in history and literature and graduated in 1974. At Harvard, Isaacson was the president of the Signet Society, a member of the Harvard Lampoon, and a resident of Lowell House. He later attended Pembroke College, Oxford, as a Rhodes scholar, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) and graduated with first-class honours.[2][4]

Career edit

Media edit

Isaacson began his career in journalism at The Sunday Times in London, followed by a position with the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He joined Time magazine in 1978, serving as the magazine's political correspondent, national editor, and editor of new media before becoming the magazine's 14th editor in 1996.[8][9]

Isaacson became chairman and CEO of CNN in July 2001, replacing Tom Johnson, and only two months later, guided CNN through the events of 9/11.[10][11] Shortly after his appointment at CNN, Isaacson attracted attention for seeking the views of Republican Party leaders on Capitol Hill regarding criticisms that CNN broadcast content that was unfair to Republicans or conservatives. He was quoted in Roll Call magazine as saying: "I was trying to reach out to a lot of Republicans who feel that CNN has not been as open to covering Republicans, and I wanted to hear their concerns." The CEO's conduct was criticized by the Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) organization, which said that Isaacson's "pandering" behavior was endowing conservative politicians with power over CNN.[12][13]

In January 2003, he announced that he would step down as president at CNN to become president of the Aspen Institute.[11] Jim Walton replaced Isaacson as president of CNN.[10]

Isaacson served as the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute from 2003 until 2018, when he announced that he would step down to become a professor of history at Tulane University and an advisory partner at the New York City financial services firm Perella Weinberg Partners.[3] In November 2017, the Aspen Institute named Dan Porterfield, the president of Franklin & Marshall College, as Isaacson's successor.[14]

In March 2017, Isaacson launched a podcast with Dell Technologies called Trailblazers, which focuses on technology's effects on business.[15] In 2018, Isaacson was named as a cohost of Amanpour & Company, a new show on PBS and CNN that replaced The Charlie Rose Show.[16]

Writing edit

Isaacson is the author of multiple published books including Kissinger: A Biography (1992), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007) and American Sketches (2009). He additionally co-authored with Evan Thomas the work The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986).[2][17]

On October 24, 2011, Steve Jobs, Isaacson's authorized biography of Apple Inc.'s Jobs, was published by Simon & Schuster, only a few weeks after Jobs's death. It became an international best-seller, breaking all records for sales of a biography. The book was based on over forty interviews with Jobs over a two-year period up until shortly before his death, and on conversations with friends, family members, and business rivals of the entrepreneur.[18][19][20][21][22]

In October 2014, Isaacson published The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, which explores the history of the key technological innovations that were prominent in the digital revolution, most notably the parallel developments of the computer and the Internet. It became a New York Times bestseller.[23] Writing for the New York Times, Janet Maslin described the author as "a kindred spirit to the visionaries and enthusiasts" whom Isaacson wrote about.[24]

He is the editor of Profiles in Leadership: Historians on the Elusive Quality of Greatness (2010, W. W. Norton).[4][25]

His self-titled biography of Leonardo da Vinci was published on October 17, 2017, to positive reviews from critics.[26][27] In August 2017, Paramount Pictures won a bidding war against Universal Pictures for the rights to adapt Isaacson's biography of da Vinci. The studio bought the rights under its deal with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions, which said that it planned to produce the film with DiCaprio as the star.[28] Screenwriter John Logan (The Aviator, Gladiator) has been tapped to pen the script.[29]

His book The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race was published in March 2021 by Simon & Schuster. It is a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the CRISPR system of gene editing.[30] The book debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending March 13, 2021.[31] Publishers Weekly called it a "gripping account of a great scientific advancement and of the dedicated scientists who realized it."[32]

In August 2021, entrepreneur Elon Musk announced that Isaacson was in the process of writing his biography.[33] The book, entitled Elon Musk, was published by Simon & Schuster on September 12, 2023. It was shortlisted for the 2023 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award.[34]

Government edit

 
Isaacson at a State Department briefing in 2008

In October 2005, the Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, appointed Isaacson vice chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, a board that oversaw spending on the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. In December 2007, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the chairman of the U.S.-Palestinian Partnership, which seeks to create economic and educational opportunities in the Palestinian territories.[35] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed him vice-chair of the Partners for a New Beginning, which encourages private-sector investments and partnerships in the Muslim world.[36]

He also served as the co-chair of the U.S.-Vietnamese Dialogue on Agent Orange, which in January 2008 announced completion of a project to contain the dioxin left behind by the U.S. at the Da Nang air base and plans to build health centers and a dioxin laboratory in the affected regions.[37] In 2008, he was appointed to be a member of the Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health. In 2009, he was appointed by President Obama to be chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and the other international broadcasts of the U.S. government; he served until January 2012.[38]

In 2014, he was appointed by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to be the co-chair of the New Orleans Tricentennial Commission, which planned the city's 300th-anniversary commemoration in 2018.[39] In 2015, he was appointed to the board of My Brother's Keeper Alliance, which seeks to carry out President Obama's anti-poverty and youth opportunity initiatives.[40] In 2016, he was appointed by Landrieu and confirmed by the City Council to be a member of the New Orleans City Planning Commission.[41] He is a member of the U.S. Department of Defense Innovation Advisory Board. In 2018, he was appointed by New Orleans mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell to be co-chair of her transition team.

Positions edit

Isaacson is an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg, a financial services firm. He is the chairman emeritus of the board of Teach for America and is on the boards of United Airlines, Halliburton Labs, The New Orleans Advocate/Times-Picayune, New Schools New Orleans, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Institution for Science and the Society of American Historians, of which he served as president in 2012.[42]

In March 2019, Isaacson became the editor-at-large and senior adviser for Arcadia Publishing, where he was to promote books for the company as well as be involved in editing, new strategy development, and partnerships.[43]

Isaacson is an Associate of the History of Science Department and a member of the Lowell House Senior Common Room at Harvard University. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford. Walter Isaacson is a special professor of history at Tulane University.[44][45] He teaches the course "The Digital Revolution" every spring and the course "Law and U.S. History" every fall. His courses often feature prominent guest speakers such as author Michael Lewis, Kickstarter founder Perry Chen, and billionaire businessman James Coulter. At Tulane, Isaacson co-chairs the annual New Orleans Book Festival.[46][47]

Honors edit

In 2023, Isaacson received the National Humanities Medal from President Joe Biden. The White House citation of Isaacson's award emphasizes that his "work, words, and wisdom bridge divides between science and the humanities and between opposing philosophies, elevating discourse and our understanding of who we are as a Nation".[48]

Isaacson's book Steve Jobs, about the life of the entrepreneur, earned Isaacson the 2012 Gerald Loeb Award.[49]

In 2012, he was selected as one of the Time 100, the magazine's list of the most influential people in the world.[50] Isaacson is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was awarded its 2013 Benjamin Franklin Medal.[51][52] He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society[53] and an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford.

In 2014, the National Endowment for the Humanities selected Isaacson for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities. The title of Isaacson's lecture was "The Intersection of the Humanities and the Sciences".[54]

He has honorary degrees from Tufts University, Cooper Union, William & Mary, Franklin University Switzerland, University of New Orleans, University of South Carolina, City University of New York (Hunter College), Pomona College, Lehigh University, Duke University, and Colorado Mountain College, where the Isaacson School of Media and Communications is named after him.[55][56] He was the 2015 recipient of The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal at Vanderbilt University.[57]

Bibliography edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Isaacson, Walter 1952–". Contemporary Authors. Retrieved February 16, 2022 – via Encyclopedia.com.
  2. ^ a b c Robin Pogrebin, "At Work and at Play, Time's Editor Seeks to Keep Magazine Vigorous at 75", New York Times, March 9, 1998.
  3. ^ a b Neibauer, Michael (March 15, 2017). "Walter Isaacson leaving the Aspen Institute". Washington Business Journal. from the original on March 15, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Ball, Millie (December 11, 2011). . The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
  5. ^ Skinner, David. . National Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  6. ^ "Family of Sid Salinger". Sid Salinger. August 19, 2013. from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  7. ^ "Obituary: Irwin Isaacson Jr". The New Orleans Advocate. January 11, 2017.
  8. ^ William C. Skinner (May 4, 2016). "Q&A with Walter S. Isaacson". The Harvard Crimson. from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  9. ^ Paul D. Colford (November 15, 2000). "Moving up the Ladder Big Time". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Cook, John (January 21, 2003). "CNN's turmoil continues over identity, ratings". The Chicago Tribune. from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "CNN: Head of news network to step down". The Chicago Tribune. January 14, 2003. from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  12. ^ Eason Jordan (August 15, 2001). "New CNN Chief Trying to Please GOP Elite". FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting). Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting. from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  13. ^ "New CNN chairman meets with GOP critics". USA Today. Associated Press. August 6, 2001. from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  14. ^ Thompson, Krissah (November 30, 2017). "Aspen Institute names Dan Porterfield, president of Franklin and Marshall College, as its new leader". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  15. ^ Johnson, Lauren (March 15, 2017). "Walter Isaacson Is Getting Into Podcasting With a Series About Technology". Adweek. from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  16. ^ Guthrie, Marisa (May 8, 2018). "Christiane Amanpour Will Lead New PBS Late-Night Program". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on May 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "Walter Isaacson". Author page. Simon & Schuster. from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  18. ^ Lynch, Rene (October 6, 2011). "Steve Jobs biography: Release date moves up, skyrockets to No. 1". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 18, 2019.
  19. ^ Brad Stone, "Jobs Is Said to Assist With Book on His Life", New York Times, February 15, 2010.
  20. ^ Peralta, Eyder (April 11, 2011). "Steve Jobs Authorizes Biography; It's Due Out Early 2012". NPR. from the original on October 14, 2019.
  21. ^ Swisher, Kara (August 15, 2011). "New Jobs Bio Cover Is All Apple With Pub Date of November". All Things Digital. from the original on August 27, 2011.
  22. ^ Isaacson, Walter (April 2012). "The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs". Harvard Business Review. 90 (4): 92–100, 102, 146. PMID 22458204. from the original on March 22, 2012.
  23. ^ Rachel Pickering (October 29, 2014). . Maroon Weekly. Campus Press LP. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  24. ^ Janet Maslin (October 8, 2014). "Heralds of the Digital Tomorrow". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  25. ^ Janet Maslin, "The Scale of Einstein, From Faith to Formulas," New York Times, April 9, 2007.
  26. ^ . LitHub. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  27. ^ Isaacson, Walter (October 17, 2017). Leonardo da Vinci. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5011-3915-4.
  28. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 12, 2017). "Update: Paramount Wins Leonardo Battle: Lands Walter Isaacson Da Vinci Book For DiCaprio". Deadline. from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  29. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 1, 2018). . Deadline. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2020. Paramount has set John Logan to adapt the Walter Isaacson book Leonardo da Vinci as a star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio to play the painter/scientist. DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson [Jennifer Davisson Killoran] are producing through their Appian Way banner.
  30. ^ Isaacson, Walter (March 9, 2021). The Code Breaker. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781982115852. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  31. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  32. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson". Publishers Weekly. January 26, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  33. ^ Alamalhodaei, Aria (August 5, 2021). "Walter Isaacson is working on a biography of Elon Musk". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  34. ^ "FT Business Book of the Year Award shortlist". Books+Publishing. October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  35. ^ "President Bush Meets with U.S.-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership", White House press release, December 2007.
  36. ^ (PDF). United States Department of State. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2019. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will serve as the Chair of PNB. Walter Isaacson (President of The Aspen Institute) and Muhtar Kent (Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company) will serve as Vice-Chairs.
  37. ^ Mason, Margie (June 16, 2010). "Plan addresses Agent Orange legacy in Vietnam - World news - World environment". msnbc.com. Hanoi: NBC News. Associated Press. from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2020. $300 million ($352 million in 2019) for Agent Orange fund
  38. ^ "President Obama More Key Administration Posts" February 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, White House press release, November 18, 2009.
  39. ^ Woodward, Alex (December 1, 2014). . Best of New Orleans. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015.
  40. ^ . My Brother's Keeper Alliance. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Board and Leadership Team: Walter Isaacson, CEO, Aspen Institute
  41. ^ Litten, Kevin (November 1, 2016). . New Orleans Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016.
  42. ^ "Executive Board | Society of American Historians". Society of American Historians. from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2020. Executive Board, 2011-2012 [...] Officers: Walter Isaacson, President
  43. ^ Hoff, Patrick (March 25, 2019). "Walter Isaacson joins Arcadia Publishing". Charleston Regional Business Journal. SC Biz News. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  44. ^ "Leonard A. Lauder funds Tulane University professorship on American history and values".
  45. ^ "Walter Isaacson, School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University".
  46. ^ "New Orleans book festival canceled by COVID on for October". Associated Press. July 3, 2021.
  47. ^ "Our Team". The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  48. ^ "Walter Isaacson". The National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  49. ^ . UCLA Anderson School of Management. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2019. Business Books Winner: Walter Isaacson for 'Steve Jobs' published by Simon & Schuster
  50. ^ Albright, Madeline K. (April 18, 2012). "The World's 100 Most Influential People: 2012". Time. from the original on September 30, 2013.
  51. ^ . RSA United States. October 2013. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013.
  52. ^ SDA, RSA-US (October 9, 2013), 2013 Benjamin Franklin medal: Walter Isaacson, retrieved March 19, 2020
  53. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  54. ^ Waddington, Chris (January 28, 2014). . Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014.
  55. ^ "The Isaacson School at Colorado Mountain College". Colorado Mountain College. from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  56. ^ "Walter S. Isaacson, Commencement Speech, May 22, 2012 | The Cooper Union". cooper.edu. May 30, 2012. from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2020. [W]hen I first started writing about Benjamin Franklin, I thought of him as a writer, a humanities type, somebody interested in governance. I did realize that he was probably the most important experimental scientist of his time. Both with the electricity experiment and so many of his other inventions. And I realize that a Benjamin Franklin or a Thomas Jefferson would have thought people philistines if they didn't appreciate the beauty of science. And likewise, Albert Einstein, a great scientist would have thought people philistines if they were scientists and didn't appreciate the beauty of Goethe or Mozart, or all of the literature or music that he loved.
  57. ^ Patterson, Jim (May 7, 2015). "Connect your passion to something that matters, Isaacson urges Vanderbilt graduating seniors". from the original on November 4, 2018.
  58. ^ Published simultaneously in London by Faber.
  59. ^ "Review of Kissinger by Walter Isaacson". Kirkus Reviews. July 1, 1992. from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  60. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 3, 2003). "Review of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson". NY Times.
  61. ^ "Review of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson". Kirkus Reviews. July 4, 1983. from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  62. ^ Maslin, Janet (April 9, 2007). "Review of Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson". NY Times.
  63. ^ "Review of Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson". Kirkus Reviews. February 15, 2007. from the original on November 3, 2011.
  64. ^ Kafka, Alexander C. (October 12, 2017). "Review of Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson". The Washington Post.
  65. ^ "Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson". The Objective Standard. May 10, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  66. ^ Isaacson, Walter (March 9, 2021). The Code Breaker. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-9821-1585-2. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  67. ^ Isaacson, Walter (September 12, 2023). Elon Musk. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-9821-8128-4.

External links edit

External videos
  Booknotes interview with Isaacson on Kissinger, September 27, 1992, C-SPAN
  Louisiana Legends interview with Isaacson by Gus Weil, April 5, 1998, LDMA
  Presentation by Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin, July 22, 2003, C-SPAN
  Interview with Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin, October 4, 2003, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin's legacy, May 11, 2016, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on Einstein, April 12, 2007, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on Einstein, November 10, 2007, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on Einstein, September 27, 2008, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on American Sketches, December 1, 2009, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on Steve Jobs, December 13, 2011, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on Steve Jobs, September 22, 2012, C-SPAN
  Interview with Isaacson on The Innovators, May 30, 2014, C-SPAN
  Interview with Isaacson on The Innovators, October 14, 2014, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on The Innovators, November 22, 2014, C-SPAN
  Presentation by Isaacson on Leonardo da Vinci, November 18, 2017, C-SPAN

walter, isaacson, walter, seff, isaacson, born, 1952, american, author, journalist, professor, been, president, aspen, institute, nonpartisan, policy, studies, organization, based, washington, chair, editor, time, isaacson, 2012bornwalter, seff, isaacson, 1952. Walter Seff Isaacson born May 20 1952 is an American author journalist and professor He has been the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute a nonpartisan policy studies organization based in Washington D C the chair and CEO of CNN and the editor of Time Walter IsaacsonIsaacson in 2012BornWalter Seff Isaacson 1952 05 20 May 20 1952 age 71 New Orleans Louisiana U S EducationHarvard University BA Pembroke College Oxford BA SpouseCathy Wright m 1984 wbr 1 2 Children1AwardsBenjamin Franklin Medal 2013 Nichols Chancellor s Medal 2015 National Humanities Medal 2023 Chair of the Broadcasting Board of GovernorsIn office July 2 2010 January 27 2012PresidentBarack ObamaPreceded byJames K GlassmanSucceeded byJeff ShellIsaacson attended Harvard University and Pembroke College Oxford as a Rhodes scholar He is the co author with Evan Thomas of The Wise Men Six Friends and the World They Made 1986 and the author of Pro and Con 1983 Kissinger A Biography 1992 Benjamin Franklin An American Life 2003 Einstein His Life and Universe 2007 American Sketches 2009 Steve Jobs 2011 The Innovators How a Group of Hackers Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution 2014 Leonardo da Vinci 2017 The Code Breaker Jennifer Doudna Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race 2021 and Elon Musk 2023 Isaacson is a professor at Tulane University and an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg Partners a New York City based financial services firm 3 He was vice chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority which oversaw the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina chaired the government board that runs Voice of America and was a member of the Defense Innovation Board Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Media 2 2 Writing 2 3 Government 3 Positions 4 Honors 5 Bibliography 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksEarly life and education editWalter Seff Isaacson was born on May 20 1952 4 1 in New Orleans Louisiana the son of Jewish parents Betty Betsy Lee nee Seff and Irwin Isaacson 5 6 7 He attended New Orleans Isidore Newman School where he was student body president He also attended the Telluride Association Summer Program TASP at Deep Springs College Isaacson studied at Harvard University where he majored in history and literature and graduated in 1974 At Harvard Isaacson was the president of the Signet Society a member of the Harvard Lampoon and a resident of Lowell House He later attended Pembroke College Oxford as a Rhodes scholar where he studied philosophy politics and economics PPE and graduated with first class honours 2 4 Career editMedia edit Isaacson began his career in journalism at The Sunday Times in London followed by a position with the New Orleans Times Picayune He joined Time magazine in 1978 serving as the magazine s political correspondent national editor and editor of new media before becoming the magazine s 14th editor in 1996 8 9 Isaacson became chairman and CEO of CNN in July 2001 replacing Tom Johnson and only two months later guided CNN through the events of 9 11 10 11 Shortly after his appointment at CNN Isaacson attracted attention for seeking the views of Republican Party leaders on Capitol Hill regarding criticisms that CNN broadcast content that was unfair to Republicans or conservatives He was quoted in Roll Call magazine as saying I was trying to reach out to a lot of Republicans who feel that CNN has not been as open to covering Republicans and I wanted to hear their concerns The CEO s conduct was criticized by the Fairness amp Accuracy In Reporting FAIR organization which said that Isaacson s pandering behavior was endowing conservative politicians with power over CNN 12 13 In January 2003 he announced that he would step down as president at CNN to become president of the Aspen Institute 11 Jim Walton replaced Isaacson as president of CNN 10 Isaacson served as the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute from 2003 until 2018 when he announced that he would step down to become a professor of history at Tulane University and an advisory partner at the New York City financial services firm Perella Weinberg Partners 3 In November 2017 the Aspen Institute named Dan Porterfield the president of Franklin amp Marshall College as Isaacson s successor 14 In March 2017 Isaacson launched a podcast with Dell Technologies called Trailblazers which focuses on technology s effects on business 15 In 2018 Isaacson was named as a cohost of Amanpour amp Company a new show on PBS and CNN that replaced The Charlie Rose Show 16 Writing edit Isaacson is the author of multiple published books including Kissinger A Biography 1992 Benjamin Franklin An American Life 2003 Einstein His Life and Universe 2007 and American Sketches 2009 He additionally co authored with Evan Thomas the work The Wise Men Six Friends and the World They Made 1986 2 17 On October 24 2011 Steve Jobs Isaacson s authorized biography of Apple Inc s Jobs was published by Simon amp Schuster only a few weeks after Jobs s death It became an international best seller breaking all records for sales of a biography The book was based on over forty interviews with Jobs over a two year period up until shortly before his death and on conversations with friends family members and business rivals of the entrepreneur 18 19 20 21 22 In October 2014 Isaacson published The Innovators How a Group of Inventors Hackers Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution which explores the history of the key technological innovations that were prominent in the digital revolution most notably the parallel developments of the computer and the Internet It became a New York Times bestseller 23 Writing for the New York Times Janet Maslin described the author as a kindred spirit to the visionaries and enthusiasts whom Isaacson wrote about 24 He is the editor of Profiles in Leadership Historians on the Elusive Quality of Greatness 2010 W W Norton 4 25 His self titled biography of Leonardo da Vinci was published on October 17 2017 to positive reviews from critics 26 27 In August 2017 Paramount Pictures won a bidding war against Universal Pictures for the rights to adapt Isaacson s biography of da Vinci The studio bought the rights under its deal with Leonardo DiCaprio s Appian Way Productions which said that it planned to produce the film with DiCaprio as the star 28 Screenwriter John Logan The Aviator Gladiator has been tapped to pen the script 29 His book The Code Breaker Jennifer Doudna Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race was published in March 2021 by Simon amp Schuster It is a biography of Jennifer Doudna the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the CRISPR system of gene editing 30 The book debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best seller list for the week ending March 13 2021 31 Publishers Weekly called it a gripping account of a great scientific advancement and of the dedicated scientists who realized it 32 In August 2021 entrepreneur Elon Musk announced that Isaacson was in the process of writing his biography 33 The book entitled Elon Musk was published by Simon amp Schuster on September 12 2023 It was shortlisted for the 2023 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award 34 Government edit nbsp Isaacson at a State Department briefing in 2008In October 2005 the Governor of Louisiana Kathleen Blanco appointed Isaacson vice chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority a board that oversaw spending on the recovery from Hurricane Katrina In December 2007 he was appointed by President George W Bush to the chairman of the U S Palestinian Partnership which seeks to create economic and educational opportunities in the Palestinian territories 35 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed him vice chair of the Partners for a New Beginning which encourages private sector investments and partnerships in the Muslim world 36 He also served as the co chair of the U S Vietnamese Dialogue on Agent Orange which in January 2008 announced completion of a project to contain the dioxin left behind by the U S at the Da Nang air base and plans to build health centers and a dioxin laboratory in the affected regions 37 In 2008 he was appointed to be a member of the Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health In 2009 he was appointed by President Obama to be chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which runs Voice of America Radio Free Europe and the other international broadcasts of the U S government he served until January 2012 38 In 2014 he was appointed by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to be the co chair of the New Orleans Tricentennial Commission which planned the city s 300th anniversary commemoration in 2018 39 In 2015 he was appointed to the board of My Brother s Keeper Alliance which seeks to carry out President Obama s anti poverty and youth opportunity initiatives 40 In 2016 he was appointed by Landrieu and confirmed by the City Council to be a member of the New Orleans City Planning Commission 41 He is a member of the U S Department of Defense Innovation Advisory Board In 2018 he was appointed by New Orleans mayor elect LaToya Cantrell to be co chair of her transition team Positions editIsaacson is an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg a financial services firm He is the chairman emeritus of the board of Teach for America and is on the boards of United Airlines Halliburton Labs The New Orleans Advocate Times Picayune New Schools New Orleans Bloomberg Philanthropies the Rockefeller Foundation the Carnegie Institution for Science and the Society of American Historians of which he served as president in 2012 42 In March 2019 Isaacson became the editor at large and senior adviser for Arcadia Publishing where he was to promote books for the company as well as be involved in editing new strategy development and partnerships 43 Isaacson is an Associate of the History of Science Department and a member of the Lowell House Senior Common Room at Harvard University He is also an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College Oxford Walter Isaacson is a special professor of history at Tulane University 44 45 He teaches the course The Digital Revolution every spring and the course Law and U S History every fall His courses often feature prominent guest speakers such as author Michael Lewis Kickstarter founder Perry Chen and billionaire businessman James Coulter At Tulane Isaacson co chairs the annual New Orleans Book Festival 46 47 Honors editIn 2023 Isaacson received the National Humanities Medal from President Joe Biden The White House citation of Isaacson s award emphasizes that his work words and wisdom bridge divides between science and the humanities and between opposing philosophies elevating discourse and our understanding of who we are as a Nation 48 Isaacson s book Steve Jobs about the life of the entrepreneur earned Isaacson the 2012 Gerald Loeb Award 49 In 2012 he was selected as one of the Time 100 the magazine s list of the most influential people in the world 50 Isaacson is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was awarded its 2013 Benjamin Franklin Medal 51 52 He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences the American Philosophical Society 53 and an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College Oxford In 2014 the National Endowment for the Humanities selected Isaacson for the Jefferson Lecture the U S federal government s highest honor for achievement in the humanities The title of Isaacson s lecture was The Intersection of the Humanities and the Sciences 54 He has honorary degrees from Tufts University Cooper Union William amp Mary Franklin University Switzerland University of New Orleans University of South Carolina City University of New York Hunter College Pomona College Lehigh University Duke University and Colorado Mountain College where the Isaacson School of Media and Communications is named after him 55 56 He was the 2015 recipient of The Nichols Chancellor s Medal at Vanderbilt University 57 Bibliography editThis list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items May 2020 Pro and Con Both Sides Of Dozens Of Unsettled And Unsettling Arguments Putnam 1983 ISBN 0 399 12869 7 Isaacson W Evan Thomas 1986 The Wise Men Six Friends and the World They Made New York Simon and Schuster ISBN 9780571146062 58 Kissinger A Biography Simon amp Schuster 1992 ISBN 978 0 671 66323 0 59 Benjamin Franklin An American Life Simon amp Schuster 2003 ISBN 978 0 684 80761 4 60 61 Einstein His Life and Universe Simon amp Schuster 2007 ISBN 978 0 7432 6474 7 62 63 Isaacson Walter December 2009 How Einstein divided America s Jews The Atlantic 304 5 70 74 American Sketches Simon amp Schuster 2009 ISBN 978 1 4391 8344 1 Steve Jobs Simon amp Schuster 2011 ISBN 978 1 4516 4853 9 The Innovators How a Group of Inventors Hackers Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution Simon amp Schuster 2014 ISBN 978 1 4767 0869 0 Leonardo Da Vinci Simon amp Schuster 2017 ISBN 978 1 5011 3915 4 64 65 The Code Breaker Jennifer Doudna Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race Simon amp Schuster 2021 ISBN 978 1 9821 1585 2 66 Elon Musk Simon amp Schuster 2023 ISBN 978 1982181284 67 See also edit nbsp Biography portalNew Yorkers in journalismReferences edit a b Isaacson Walter 1952 Contemporary Authors Retrieved February 16 2022 via Encyclopedia com a b c Robin Pogrebin At Work and at Play Time s Editor Seeks to Keep Magazine Vigorous at 75 New York Times March 9 1998 a b Neibauer Michael March 15 2017 Walter Isaacson leaving the Aspen Institute Washington Business Journal Archived from the original on March 15 2017 a b c Ball Millie December 11 2011 Steve Jobs biographer is hometown son Walter Isaacson The Times Picayune Archived from the original on February 12 2012 Skinner David Awards amp Honors 2014 Jefferson Lecturer Walter Isaacson National Endowment for the Humanities Archived from the original on May 16 2014 Retrieved August 30 2016 Family of Sid Salinger Sid Salinger August 19 2013 Archived from the original on February 1 2015 Retrieved February 1 2015 Obituary Irwin Isaacson Jr The New Orleans Advocate January 11 2017 William C Skinner May 4 2016 Q amp A with Walter S Isaacson The Harvard Crimson Archived from the original on September 18 2016 Retrieved July 5 2016 Paul D Colford November 15 2000 Moving up the Ladder Big Time New York Daily News Retrieved July 5 2016 a b Cook John January 21 2003 CNN s turmoil continues over identity ratings The Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on March 19 2020 Retrieved March 17 2016 a b CNN Head of news network to step down The Chicago Tribune January 14 2003 Archived from the original on March 19 2020 Retrieved March 17 2016 Eason Jordan August 15 2001 New CNN Chief Trying to Please GOP Elite FAIR Fairness amp Accuracy In Reporting Fairness amp Accuracy In Reporting Archived from the original on December 8 2012 Retrieved January 18 2015 New CNN chairman meets with GOP critics USA Today Associated Press August 6 2001 Archived from the original on January 18 2015 Retrieved January 18 2015 Thompson Krissah November 30 2017 Aspen Institute names Dan Porterfield president of Franklin and Marshall College as its new leader Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved December 15 2017 Johnson Lauren March 15 2017 Walter Isaacson Is Getting Into Podcasting With a Series About Technology Adweek Archived from the original on March 15 2017 Retrieved July 1 2017 Guthrie Marisa May 8 2018 Christiane Amanpour Will Lead New PBS Late Night Program The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on May 8 2018 Walter Isaacson Author page Simon amp Schuster Archived from the original on November 2 2019 Retrieved May 19 2017 Lynch Rene October 6 2011 Steve Jobs biography Release date moves up skyrockets to No 1 Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 18 2019 Brad Stone Jobs Is Said to Assist With Book on His Life New York Times February 15 2010 Peralta Eyder April 11 2011 Steve Jobs Authorizes Biography It s Due Out Early 2012 NPR Archived from the original on October 14 2019 Swisher Kara August 15 2011 New Jobs Bio Cover Is All Apple With Pub Date of November All Things Digital Archived from the original on August 27 2011 Isaacson Walter April 2012 The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs Harvard Business Review 90 4 92 100 102 146 PMID 22458204 Archived from the original on March 22 2012 Rachel Pickering October 29 2014 The Innovators How a Group of Hackers Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson Maroon Weekly Campus Press LP Archived from the original on September 3 2015 Retrieved January 18 2015 Janet Maslin October 8 2014 Heralds of the Digital Tomorrow The New York Times Retrieved January 18 2015 Janet Maslin The Scale of Einstein From Faith to Formulas New York Times April 9 2007 Bookmarks reviews of Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson LitHub Archived from the original on October 19 2017 Retrieved October 19 2017 Isaacson Walter October 17 2017 Leonardo da Vinci Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 1 5011 3915 4 Fleming Mike Jr August 12 2017 Update Paramount Wins Leonardo Battle Lands Walter Isaacson Da Vinci Book For DiCaprio Deadline Archived from the original on August 12 2017 Retrieved November 29 2019 Fleming Mike Jr February 1 2018 John Logan To Adapt Walter Isaacson s Leonardo Da Vinci Book For Leo DiCaprio Deadline Archived from the original on February 2 2018 Retrieved March 19 2020 Paramount has set John Logan to adapt the Walter Isaacson book Leonardo da Vinci as a star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio to play the painter scientist DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Jennifer Davisson Killoran are producing through their Appian Way banner Isaacson Walter March 9 2021 The Code Breaker Simon and Schuster ISBN 9781982115852 Retrieved March 18 2021 Combined Print amp E Book Nonfiction Best Sellers The New York Times Retrieved March 18 2021 Nonfiction Book Review The Code Breaker Jennifer Doudna Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson Publishers Weekly January 26 2021 Retrieved March 18 2021 Alamalhodaei Aria August 5 2021 Walter Isaacson is working on a biography of Elon Musk TechCrunch Retrieved February 16 2022 FT Business Book of the Year Award shortlist Books Publishing October 4 2023 Retrieved October 4 2023 President Bush Meets with U S Palestinian Public Private Partnership White House press release December 2007 Partners for a New Beginning PDF United States Department of State April 26 2010 Archived from the original PDF on December 17 2019 Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will serve as the Chair of PNB Walter Isaacson President of The Aspen Institute and Muhtar Kent Chairman and CEO of The Coca Cola Company will serve as Vice Chairs Mason Margie June 16 2010 Plan addresses Agent Orange legacy in Vietnam World news World environment msnbc com Hanoi NBC News Associated Press Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved March 19 2020 300 million 352 million in 2019 for Agent Orange fund President Obama More Key Administration Posts Archived February 16 2017 at the Wayback Machine White House press release November 18 2009 Woodward Alex December 1 2014 Mayor Landrieu unveils New Orleans tricentennial group Best of New Orleans Archived from the original on February 12 2015 My Brother s Keeper Fact Sheet My Brother s Keeper Alliance Archived from the original on May 10 2015 Board and Leadership Team Walter Isaacson CEO Aspen Institute Litten Kevin November 1 2016 New Orleans Native Walter Isaacson Appointed to CPC New Orleans Times Picayune Archived from the original on November 2 2016 Executive Board Society of American Historians Society of American Historians Archived from the original on March 7 2012 Retrieved March 19 2020 Executive Board 2011 2012 Officers Walter Isaacson President Hoff Patrick March 25 2019 Walter Isaacson joins Arcadia Publishing Charleston Regional Business Journal SC Biz News Retrieved April 3 2019 Leonard A Lauder funds Tulane University professorship on American history and values Walter Isaacson School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University New Orleans book festival canceled by COVID on for October Associated Press July 3 2021 Our Team The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University Retrieved May 24 2023 Walter Isaacson The National Endowment for the Humanities Retrieved March 21 2023 UCLA Anderson Announces 2012 Gerald Loeb Award Winners UCLA Anderson School of Management June 26 2012 Archived from the original on July 19 2013 Retrieved February 2 2019 Business Books Winner Walter Isaacson for Steve Jobs published by Simon amp Schuster Albright Madeline K April 18 2012 The World s 100 Most Influential People 2012 Time Archived from the original on September 30 2013 2013 Benjamin Franklin Medal Presentation To Walter Isaacson RSA United States October 2013 Archived from the original on December 31 2013 SDA RSA US October 9 2013 2013 Benjamin Franklin medal Walter Isaacson retrieved March 19 2020 APS Member History search amphilsoc org Retrieved May 25 2021 Waddington Chris January 28 2014 Best selling biographer Walter Isaacson will deliver prestigious Jefferson Lecture in 2014 Times Picayune Archived from the original on February 4 2014 The Isaacson School at Colorado Mountain College Colorado Mountain College Archived from the original on April 9 2019 Retrieved March 19 2020 Walter S Isaacson Commencement Speech May 22 2012 The Cooper Union cooper edu May 30 2012 Archived from the original on March 18 2015 Retrieved March 19 2020 W hen I first started writing about Benjamin Franklin I thought of him as a writer a humanities type somebody interested in governance I did realize that he was probably the most important experimental scientist of his time Both with the electricity experiment and so many of his other inventions And I realize that a Benjamin Franklin or a Thomas Jefferson would have thought people philistines if they didn t appreciate the beauty of science And likewise Albert Einstein a great scientist would have thought people philistines if they were scientists and didn t appreciate the beauty of Goethe or Mozart or all of the literature or music that he loved Patterson Jim May 7 2015 Connect your passion to something that matters Isaacson urges Vanderbilt graduating seniors Archived from the original on November 4 2018 Published simultaneously in London by Faber Review of Kissinger by Walter Isaacson Kirkus Reviews July 1 1992 Archived from the original on November 3 2011 Retrieved March 19 2020 Maslin Janet July 3 2003 Review of Benjamin Franklin An American Life by Walter Isaacson NY Times Review of Benjamin Franklin An American Life by Walter Isaacson Kirkus Reviews July 4 1983 Archived from the original on November 3 2011 Retrieved March 19 2020 Maslin Janet April 9 2007 Review of Einstein His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson NY Times Review of Einstein His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson Kirkus Reviews February 15 2007 Archived from the original on November 3 2011 Kafka Alexander C October 12 2017 Review of Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson The Washington Post Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson The Objective Standard May 10 2019 Retrieved April 13 2021 Isaacson Walter March 9 2021 The Code Breaker Simon and Schuster ISBN 978 1 9821 1585 2 Retrieved February 27 2021 Isaacson Walter September 12 2023 Elon Musk Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 1 9821 8128 4 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walter Isaacson nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Walter Isaacson External videos nbsp Booknotes interview with Isaacson on Kissinger September 27 1992 C SPAN nbsp Louisiana Legends interview with Isaacson by Gus Weil April 5 1998 LDMA nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin July 22 2003 C SPAN nbsp Interview with Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin October 4 2003 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin s legacy May 11 2016 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Einstein April 12 2007 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Einstein November 10 2007 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Einstein September 27 2008 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on American Sketches December 1 2009 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Steve Jobs December 13 2011 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Steve Jobs September 22 2012 C SPAN nbsp Interview with Isaacson on The Innovators May 30 2014 C SPAN nbsp Interview with Isaacson on The Innovators October 14 2014 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on The Innovators November 22 2014 C SPAN nbsp Presentation by Isaacson on Leonardo da Vinci November 18 2017 C SPANOfficial website at Tulane University Appearances on C SPAN Walter on Google scholar Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Walter Isaacson amp oldid 1194930295, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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