Walter Isaacson Height, Weight, Age, Wife, Children

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Walter Isaacson Quick Info
Height5 ft 8 in
Weight79 kg
Date of BirthMay 20, 1952
Zodiac SignTaurus
SpouseCathy Wright

Walter Isaacson is an American author, journalist, and professor who is best known as the author/co-author of several best-selling books including Pro and Con (1983), The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986), Kissinger: A Biography (1992), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), Steve Jobs (2011), The Innovators (2014), Leonardo da Vinci (2017), The Code Breaker (2021) and Elon Musk (2023). Through his illustrious career, Walter also held several key positions in educational institutions and media/financial organizations. He served as the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute (an international nonprofit organization and a nonpartisan policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C.); the chairperson and CEO of CNN (Cable News Network, an American multinational news channel and website); and the editor of Time (a renowned American news magazine). Walter has also served as a special professor of history at Tulane University (a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana); an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg Partners L.P. (a New York City-based global financial services firm); and a member of the government board that runs Voice of America (the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States). Between July 2010 and January 2012, he was the chairperson of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (now known as the United States Agency for Global Media), an independent agency of the US government that broadcasts news and information.

Born Name

Walter Seff Isaacson

Nick Name

Walter

Walter Isaacson as seen in an Instagram Post in August 2023 (Walter Isaacson / Instagram)

Sun Sign

Taurus

Born Place

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Residence

United States

Nationality

Education

Walter had studied at the Isidore Newman School, a private, nondenominational, coeducational college preparatory school in his hometown of New Orleans. He was the student body president there.

He also attended the Telluride Association (a non-profit organization that provides young people with free educational programs emphasizing intellectual curiosity, democratic self-governance, and social responsibility) Summer Program at Deep Springs College, a private two-year college in Inyo County, California, United States.

Walter then joined Harvard University, a private Ivy League (a group of 8 research universities in the Northeastern United States that symbolize academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism) research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, he majored in history and literature – graduating in 1974.

He later attended Pembroke College, a constituent of the University of Oxford, located in England, United Kingdom. He had joined on a Rhodes Scholarship (the international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford). He studied philosophy, politics, and economics there – graduating with first-class honors.

Occupation

Author, Journalist, Professor

Walter Isaacson as seen in an Instagram Post in September 2019 (Walter Isaacson / Instagram)

Family

  • Father – Irwin Isaacson (Engineer, Businessman) (d. January 2017)
  • Mother – Betty ‘Betsy’ Lee Isaacson (née Seff) (Realtor) (d. March 1985)

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 8 in or 173 cm

Weight

79 kg or 174 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Walter has dated –

  • Cathy Wright (1984-Present) – Walter married Cathy Wright in September 1984 and the couple has a daughter named Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Carter Isaacson.
    • Walter Isaacson and Cathy Wright, as seen in July 2023 (Walter Isaacson / Instagram)

    Race / Ethnicity

    White

    He is of American descent.

    Hair Color

    Gray

    Eye Color

    Dark Brown

    Sexual Orientation

    Straight

    Distinctive Features

    • Mildly stocky frame
    • Short-cropped, side-parted hair
    • Clean-shaven look
    • Cheerful smile
    Walter Isaacson as seen in an Instagram Post in May 2019 (Walter Isaacson / Instagram)

    Walter Isaacson Facts

  • Soon after graduating from the University of Oxford, Walter began his career in journalism with The Sunday Times, a British Sunday newspaper. After his return to the United States, he worked for The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, an American newspaper published from his hometown of New Orleans.
  • He joined Time magazine in 1978 as a political correspondent. Over the next 15 years or so, he held several key posts in the organization including national editor and editor of new media. He eventually became the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996.
  • In October 2011, Walter published an authorized biography of Steve Jobs, the renowned American business magnate. Released just a few days after Steve’s death, the book became an international best-seller, breaking all sales records for a biography.
  • In 2012, he was included in ‘Time 100′, Time magazine’s annual list of the most influential people in the world. The same year, The Isaacson School for Communication, Arts & Media, named after him, was opened at Colorado Mountain College, a public community college with multiple campuses in the western part of Colorado, a state in the Western United States.
  • In 2013, Walter was honored with the ‘Benjamin Franklin Medal’ – conferred by the RSA (Royal Society of Arts; a London-based organization) on individuals, groups, and organizations who have made profound efforts to forward Anglo-American understanding in areas closely linked to the RSA‘s agenda. The medal is awarded annually, alternately to citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts as well as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the oldest learned societies in the United States) and the American Philosophical Society (a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities).
  • Walter was the 2015 recipient of the ‘Nichols-Chancellor’s Medal’, an annual medal that is awarded by Vanderbilt University (a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States) to those persons who define the 21st century and exemplify the best qualities of the human spirit.
  • In March 2017, he co-launched a podcast called Trailblazers that focuses on technology’s effects on business. In 2018, he was named a co-host of Amanpour & Company, a late-night global affairs interview TV program.
  • In March 2019, Walter was appointed the editor-at-large and senior adviser for Arcadia Publishing, an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.
  • In 2023, he was honored with the National Humanities Medal, an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions in the field of humanities.

    • Featured Image by Walter Isaacson / Instagram

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