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. His parents are Jere Ellis Meacham (1946–2008), a construction and labor-relations executive who was decorated for valor during the Vietnam War, and Linda (McBrayer) Brodie. His paternal grandparents, Ellis K. Meacham and Jean Austin Meacham, raised him after his parents' divorce. 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.
Meacham attended The McCallie School, where he developed an interest in the civil rights movement. He then went on to attend Sewanee: The University of the South where he graduated salutatorian and summa cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Career Journalist and editor After college, he worked at The Chattanooga Times, until he moved to Washington, D.C., in 1993 and became co-editor of Washington Monthly. In 1995, he worked for Newsweek as the national affairs editor, and became managing editor in late-1998. In 2006, he became editor-in-chief of Newsweeks print and online formats.
A former executive editor and executive vice president at Random House, he is a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review and The Washington Post, and a contributing editor to Time magazine.
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. His book, Franklin and Winston, An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship about Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, was released in 2003 and was awarded The Colby Prize in 2005.
Meacham has explored America's leaders in such works as Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power as well as his biography of Andrew Jackson, American Lion, which won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. 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."
Selected by the Bush family to be the official biographer for George H. W. Bush, Meacham's book, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, was published in 2015. He gave eulogies for both President Bush and Barbara Bush when they died in 2018.
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. He was a visiting professor of political science at Vanderbilt University 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 Anti-Defamation League 2013 Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Prize Historical Society of Pennsylvania 2013 Founder's Award Sandra Day O’Connor Institute 2016 The Spirit of Democracy Award The Lincoln Forum 2022 Richard Nelson Current Achievement Award The Lincoln Forum 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. He married Margaret Keith Smythe, called Keith, in 1996. At the time of their marriage, she was a teacher, having studied at the University of Virginia and the University of Provence. She taught in Metz, France under a Fulbright Scholarship. They have three children.
Meacham is an Episcopalian, and was chosen as Canon Historian of Washington National Cathedral in 2021.
Bibliography TitleYearISBNPublisherSubject matterInterviews, presentations, and reviewsNotes[Editor] Voices in Our Blood: America's Best on the Civil Rights Movement2001Random HouseCivil rights movementWashington Journal interview with Meacham on Voices In Our Blood, February 21, 2001, C-SPAN Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship2003Random HouseFranklin Roosevelt, Winston ChurchillPresentation by Meacham on Franklin and Winston, November 5, 2003, C-SPANBooknotes interview with Meacham on Franklin and Winston, January 5, 2004, C-SPANPresentation by Meacham on Franklin and Winston, January 30, 2019, C-SPANMeacham discusses Franklin & Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship at the Pritzker Military Museum & LibraryAmerican Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation2006Random HouseHistory of religion / Founding FathersInterview with Meacham on American Gospel, June 14, 2006, C-SPANAmerican Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House2008Random HouseAndrew JacksonPresentation by Meacham on American Lion, November 16, 2008, C-SPANWashington Journal interview with Meacham on American Lion, December 18, 2008, C-SPANPresentation by Meacham on American Lion, September 26, 2009, C-SPANInterview with Meacham on American Lion, September 26, 2009, C-SPAN [Editor] American Homer: Reflections on Shelby Foote and His Classic The Civil War: A Narrative 2001Random HouseShelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power2012Random HouseThomas JeffersonPresentation by Meacham on Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, November 14, 2012, C-SPANDestiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush2015Random HouseGeorge H. W. BushPresentation by Meacham on Destiny and Power, November 8, 2015, C-SPANDiscussion with Meacham and George W. Bush about the life and career of George H.W. Bush, November 8, 2015, C-SPANPresentation by Meacham on Destiny and Power, November 21, 2015, C-SPANPresentation by Meacham on Destiny and Power, September 24, 2016, C-SPANThe Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels2018Random HouseHistory of the United StatesPresentation by Meacham on The Soul of America, May 9, 2018, C-SPANWashington Journal interview with Meacham on The Soul of America, May 23, 2018, C-SPANPresentation by Meacham on The Soul of America, September 1, 2018, C-SPANPresentation by Meacham on The Soul of America, January 31, 2019, C-SPAN[Co-author] Impeachment: An American History2018Modern LibraryImpeachment of Andrew JohnsonPanel discussion with Meacham, Naftali, Baker, and Engel on Impeachment: An American History, February 20, 2019, C-SPAN [Co-author] Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation2019Random HouseMusic of the United StatesPresentation by Meacham and Tim McGraw on Songs of America, January 29, 2020, C-SPAN The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross2020Convergent BooksSayings of Jesus on the cross His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope2020Random HouseJohn LewisPresentation by Meacham on His Truth Is Marching On, September 26, 2020, C-SPANInterview with Meacham on His Truth Is Marching On, September 26, 2020, C-SPANPanel discussion featuring Meacham on John Lewis, March 23, 2021, C-SPANAnd There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle2022Random HouseAbraham LincolnInterview with Meacham on And There Was Light, October 24, 2022, C-SPAN[Editor] American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology2026Random HouseHistory of the United States
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