Ron Chernow

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Ron Chernow bigraphy, stories - author, historian, biographer

Ron Chernow : biography

March 3, 1949 –

Ronald Chernow (born March 3, 1949) is an American writer, journalist, historian, and biographer. He is known for writing bestselling and award-winning biographies of historical figures from the world of business, finance, and American politics.

Historian Andrew Cayton says, "Chernow is no ordinary writer. Like his popular biographies of John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Hamilton, his Washington while long, is vivid and well paced. If Chernow’s sense of historical context is sometimes superficial, his understanding of psychology is acute and his portraits of individuals memorable."Andrew Cayton, review of Washington, New York Times Book Review, October 3, 2010, p. 21 cited in Gale (2011)

He is known for winning the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the 2011 American History Book Prize for his book, Washington: A Life. He is also the recipient of the National Book Award for Nonfiction for his 1990 book, The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance. His biographies about Alexander Hamilton and John D. Rockefeller were both nominated for National Book Critics Circle Awards, while The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family was honored with the 1993 George S. Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing. As a freelance journalist, he has written over 60 articles in national publications.

Published works

  • Chernow, Ron (1990). The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
  • Chernow, Ron (1994). The Warburgs: The Twentieth-century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family, New York: Random House
  • Chernow, Ron (1997). The Death of the Banker: The Decline and Fall of the Great Financial Dynasties and the Triumph of the Small Investor
  • Chernow, Ron (1998). Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
  • Chernow, Ron (2004). Alexander Hamilton
  • Chernow, Ron (2010). Washington: A Life

Honors and awards

  • 1990: National Book Award for Nonfiction for The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance (winner)
  • 1993: George S. Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing for The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family (winner)
  • 1998: National Book Critics Circle Award for Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (nominated)
  • 2004: George Washington Book Prize for Alexander Hamilton (winner)
  • 2004: National Book Critics Circle Award for Alexander Hamilton (nominated)
  • 2011: Pulitzer Prize for Biography for Washington: A Life (winner)
  • 2011: American History Book Prize for Washington: A Life (winner)

Professional background

Chernow began his career as a freelance journalist. He wrote more than 60 articles in national newspapers and magazines from 1973 to 1982. In the mid-1980s, he put his writing pursuits aside when he began serving as the director of financial policy studies with the Twentieth Century Fund, which is based in New York City. In 1986, he left the organization and refocused his efforts on writing. In addition to his background writing nonfiction works and biographies, Chernow continues to contribute articles to The New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/opinion/24chernow.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=print and The Wall Street Journal. He has also provided commentary on business, politics, and finance on national radio and television shows, while additionally appearing as an expert in documentary films.

Business and finance

The House of Morgan

In 1990, Chernow wrote his first book, The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance, which traces the history of four generations of the J.P. Morgan financial empire. The reviewer for The New York Times Book Review said, "As a portrait of finance, politics and the world of avarice and ambition on Wall Street, the book has the movement and tension of an epic novel. It is, quite simply, a tour de force." The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance was honored with the National Book Award for Nonfiction.