Andrew Sullivan

Andrew Michael Sullivan was born on August 10, 1963, in South Godstone, Surrey, England, into a Catholic family of Irish descent. He received his education at Reigate Grammar School and later attended Magdalen College, Oxford, where he earned a first-class Bachelor of Arts degree in modern history and modern languages in 1984. During his time at Oxford, he was elected president of the Oxford Union for Trinity term 1983. He continued his academic pursuits at Harvard University, receiving a Master in Public Administration in 1986 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Ph.D. in government in 1990. His early career included writing for The Daily Telegraph on American politics before joining The New Republic as an intern in 1986.

Sullivan’s career trajectory saw him appointed editor of The New Republic in October 1991, a position he held until 1996. In this role, he broadened the magazine’s scope to include cultural topics alongside traditional political coverage. A significant milestone was the publication of excerpts from “The Bell Curve” in 1994, which sparked considerable debate. In 2000, Sullivan launched his political blog, “The Daily Dish,” which became highly influential and moved across several major platforms including Time, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast, before becoming an independent subscription-based service. He retired from daily blogging in 2015 but continued his commentary, becoming a writer-at-large at New York magazine from 2016 to 2020. In July 2020, he launched his newsletter, “The Weekly Dish,” hosted on Substack.

Throughout his career, Sullivan has been recognized for his impact on political discourse. He authored or edited six books, including “Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality” (1995), which won the Mencken Award for Best Book in 1996, and “The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back” (2006). His early and steadfast advocacy for same-sex marriage is widely considered one of his most influential contributions, garnering recognition as an LGBT History Month icon in 2006. Sullivan became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2016, further cementing his trans-Atlantic perspective on political and social commentary. He continues to actively engage in public debate, providing critical analysis on various social and political issues.