George Will is widely regarded as one of the most popular and influential contemporary American writers. His columns have appeared in a variety of newspapers and journals. He is well-known for his conservative political commentary and believes in preserving America’s traditional values by resisting the free-market trend. He has written for over 450 newspapers, has a twice-weekly column in Newsweek, and has appeared on ABC as a political commentator. He is widely regarded as one of America’s most well-known and widely read writers. He writes for ‘The London Daily Telegraph’ on a sporadic basis and also serves as a television news analyst for Capital Cities/ABC News Television Group. His career has been dogged by controversies surrounding him for an extended period of time. His columns cover a broad range of topics, from politics to baseball. He is an ardent baseball fan, his favorite team being the Chicago Cubs. He is a man with a variety of perspectives, whether political, social, or economic. As a peace activist, he believed America should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. Socially, he argues that the death penalty should be abolished and that increasing the severity of punishment could make the world a safer place. He is a proponent of low taxes because they enable a strong moral foundation and economic growth. In 1997, the National Journal named him one of the top 25 Washington journalists.
Childhood & Adolescence
He was born in Illinois to philosophy professor Frederick L. Will and high school teacher Louise Hendrickson Will.
He attended Urbana’s University Laboratory High School and graduated with a B.A. from Trinity College in Connecticut.
He studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. In 1967, he earned an MA and a PhD in politics from Princeton University.
Career of George
Will worked on Senator Gordon’s staff from 1970 to 1972 before teaching political philosophy at Michigan State University’s James Madison College and the University of Toronto.
In 1974, he joined the Washington Post Writers Group and began writing a syndicated biweekly column that appears on Thursdays and Sundays to this day.
He joined Newsweek as a contributing editor in 1976 and wrote a biweekly column until 2011. In 1978, he served as Washington editor of the ‘National Review.’
From the mid-1980’s to the late 1980’s, he served as a television commentator for NBC’s ‘Argonsky and Company’ (1977-84) and NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ (NBC). Since the early 1980’s, he has also worked for ABC as a news analyst.
Numerous controversies have dogged him throughout his lengthy and successful career. He was accused of being unprofessional and assisting Ronald Reagan in his 1980 presidential debate preparations.
Reagan’s opponent Jimmy Carter had also accused him of handing over to Ronald Reagan a top-secret briefing book that had been allegedly stolen from Carter’s office.
He was chastised for his dealings with Conrad Black, who was convicted in 2007 of fraud and obstruction of justice.
Will shook a lot of cages in 2008 when he reported on China’s offshore drilling near South Florida. In 2009, he provided incorrect data about the global sea ice level, earning him the wrath of environmentalists.
He currently works as a contributing analyst for ABC News Channel and has appeared on ABC’s ‘This Week’ every Sunday morning since 1981.
Significant Works of George
A highly successful journalist, his columns have appeared in over 450 newspapers, and he has also appeared on television as a commentator for a variety of news outlets.
His baseball book, ‘Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball’ (1990), became a bestseller and spent more than two months at the top of the national bestseller list.
Awards and Accomplishments
Will was awarded the prestigious ‘Pulitzer Prize’ in 1977 for his ‘distinguished commentary on a variety of subjects.
In 1978, Will received ‘The National Headliners Award’ for his ‘consistently outstanding special features columns’ in ‘Newsweek’.
In 1980 and 1991, he received the ‘Silurian Award’ for editorial writing. In January 1985, he was named ‘the best writer on any subject’ by The Washington Journalism Review.
Personal History and Legacies
Will Marion married Madeleine Marion in 1967. They were the parents of three children. Jonathan, Will’s son, was born with Down syndrome, a subject he occasionally discusses in his columns. They divorced in 1989 after 22 years of marriage.
Mari Maseng, a political consultant and speechwriter, he married in 1991. They are the parents of a son and currently reside in Washington, D.C.
Estimated Net Worth
George Will is a $4 million-wealthy American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. Will is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who is best known for his conservative political commentary. In 1986, The Wall Street Journal dubbed Will “perhaps the most powerful journalist in America.”
Trivia
In 1986, the Wall Street Journal dubbed him ‘perhaps America’s most powerful journalist. He was a founding member of ABC’s ‘This Week With David Brinkley’ panel, which has been renamed ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos’.