Jon Meacham

Jon Ellis Meacham (; born May 20, 1969) is an American writer, reviewer, historian and presidential biographer who is serving as the Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral since November 7, 2021. A former executive editor and executive vice president at Random House, he is a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, a contributing editor to Time magazine, and a former editor-in-chief of Newsweek. He is the author of several books. He won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. He holds the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Endowed Chair in American Presidency at Vanderbilt University.

Early life and education Meacham was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. and Linda (McBrayer) Brodie. His paternal grandparents, Ellis K. Meacham and Jean Austin Meacham, When he was a child, his grandfather had discussions each morning with a group of men about local and national politics. As a result, Meacham developed an interest in politics. He received an invitation to Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration in Washington, D.C., in response to a letter that he sent to the president-elect. |name=Remini where he developed an interest in the civil rights movement.

Career Journalist and editor After college, he worked at The Chattanooga Times, (The Star-Herald reported that Meacham became Managing Editor after three months on the job.) he is a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review and The Washington Post,

Biographer and book author He was the editor for Voices in Our Blood: America's Best on the Civil Rights Movement which was released in 2001. Spanning the period from 1941 to 1998, the book includes writings of noted civil-rights leaders, novelists, and journalists, like John Lewis, James Baldwin, William Faulkner, and David Halberstam. Jill Abramson writing in a book review in The New York Times states that Meacham's books are "well researched, drawing on new anecdotal material and up-to-date historiographical interpretations" and presents his "subjects as figures of heroic grandeur despite all-too-human shortcomings". In his biography of Jefferson, Meacham identifies qualities that would be helpful in the current political arena, "Jefferson repeatedly reached out to his enemies and showed ideological flexibility." Regarding the former president's stance on slavery, Meacham states, "Slavery was the rare subject where Jefferson's sense of realism kept him from marshaling his sense of hope in the service of the cause of reform."

Other appearances

Over the years Meacham has been a frequent guest on various talk shows such as Charlie Rose, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, and Real Time with Bill Maher. From May 2010 to April 2011, Meacham was co-host with Alison Stewart of Need to Know on PBS. He is also a frequent guest on CBS This Morning, Face the Nation, MSNBC's Morning Joe, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

In 2014, Meacham appeared in Ken Burns' documentary series The Roosevelts: An Intimate History on PBS. He also appeared in a cameo in the 2018 film The Front Runner.

Meacham taught history at his alma mater, the University of the South, in 2014. before being appointed to the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Chair in American Presidency. Meacham is also the co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy at Vanderbilt University.

In 2026 he was an Executive Producer and appeared as a historian on The History Channel series WWII.

Politics

Meacham was asked to speak at the 2020 Democratic National Convention on the Soul of America. He endorsed Joe Biden, saying, "history, which will surely be our judge, can also be our guide. From Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, we're at our best when we build bridges, not walls". According to The New York Times, Meacham was part of the team writing some of Joe Biden's speeches for the 2020 United States presidential election, including Biden's acceptance speech, and his 2024 State of the Union address.

In November 2022, Meacham helped Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, write a speech announcing that she would not seek reelection to House Democratic leadership in the 118th United States Congress.

Accolades and organizations Organizations Year Award Result Pulitzer Prize 2009 Biography or Autobiography World Economic Forum N/A Named a "Global Leader for Tomorrow" Society of American Historians N/A A Fellow Council on Foreign Relations N/A Member Thomas Jefferson Foundation N/A Trustee Andrew Jackson Foundation N/A Trustee Washington University in St. Louis N/A Chairs the national advisory board The University of the South N/A Distinguished visiting professor of history Vanderbilt University N/A A visiting distinguished professor

Honorary doctorates Meacham has also been awarded honorary doctorates from several universities: Institution Year Degree Result Yale University 2005 Doctor of Humane Letters Dickinson College 2010 Doctor of Humane Letters The University of the South 2010 D.Litt. Loyola University New Orleans 2012 DHL Wake Forest University 2017 D.Litt. Middlebury College 2017 D.Litt. University of Tennessee 2017 DHL University of Massachusetts Lowell 2018 Doctor of Humane Letters Millsaps College 2019 Honorary doctorate

Personal life , Meacham resides in Belle Meade, Tennessee. They have three children.

Meacham is an Episcopalian, and was chosen as Canon Historian of Washington National Cathedral in 2021.