About Charles Krauthammer

Charles Krauthammer, winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, writes an internationally syndicated column for The Washington Post Writers Group. Krauthammer, named by the Financial Times as America's most influential commentator, began writing the weekly column for The Washington Post in January 1985. It now appears in more than 180 newspapers.

The late Meg Greenfield, longtime editorial page editor of The Washington Post, called Krauthammer's column "independent and hard to peg politically. It's a very tough column. There's no 'trendy' in it. You never know what is going to happen next." Which explains why he has been honored from every part of the political spectrum for his bold, lucid and original writing -- from the famously liberal People for the American Way (First Amendment Award) to the staunchly conservative American Enterprise Institute (Irving Kristol Award).

Says Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor of The Washington Post: "Krauthammer's weekly essays on the war on terrorism, bioethics, the Middle East, anti-Semitism in Europe and other complex and contentious issues cut through the cant and the muddy thinking in a way that many other columnists can only envy."

A column, says Krauthammer, is not just politics. "My beat is ideas, everything from the ethics of cloning to strategy in Afghanistan. I also do public service, like reading Stephen Hawking's books and assuring my readers that no, it is not you -- the books are entirely incomprehensible."

Krauthammer was born in New York City and raised in Montreal. He was educated at McGill University, majoring in political science and economics, Oxford University (Commonwealth Scholar in Politics) and Harvard (M.D. in 1975). He practiced medicine for three years as a resident and then chief resident in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

In 1978, he quit medical practice, came to Washington to direct planning in psychiatric research for the Carter administration, and began contributing articles to The New Republic. During the presidential campaign of 1980, he served as a speech writer to Vice President Walter Mondale. He joined The New Republic as a writer and editor in 1981. He writes a monthly essay for Time magazine and contributes to several other publications, including The Weekly Standard and The New Republic. He is the recipient of innumerable awards, including the National Magazine Award for essays and the first annual ($250,000) Bradley Prize.

Krauthammer lives in suburban Washington with his wife Robyn, an artist. Their son is a student at Harvard University.

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