About Ron Chernow
Ron Chernow is an American writer, journalist, and biographer. He has written several bestselling historical non-fiction biographies, including Alexander Hamilton, Washington: A Life, Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, and Grant. Chernow’s work has been praised for its meticulous research, engaging storytelling, and insights into the lives of his subjects.
Chernow was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1949. He graduated from Yale University and Pembroke College at Cambridge University with degrees in English literature. After college, Chernow worked as a freelance journalist. He wrote more than 60 articles for various national newspapers and magazines from 1973 to 1982.
In the mid-1980s, Chernow put his writing pursuits aside when he began serving as the director of financial policy studies with the Twentieth Century Fund in New York City. In 1986, he left the organization and refocused his efforts on writing. In addition to his background in writing nonfiction and biographies, Chernow continues to contribute articles to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Chernow’s first book, The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance, was published in 1990 and won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. In 1998, Chernow published Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, which remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 16 weeks. In 1999, Chernow shifted his emphasis away from business moguls to start a biography on a new topic, American politics.
In 2004, Chernow published Alexander Hamilton, a biography of the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. The book became a bestseller and was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2015. Chernow’s next book, Washington: A Life, was published in 2010 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. In 2017, Chernow published Grant, a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States.
Chernow is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He has also received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama. Chernow is married to Valerie Chernow, a historian and writer. They have two children.
Chernow is one of the most respected biographers in the world. His work is known for its accuracy, insight, and readability. He has written about some of the most important figures in American history, and his biographies have helped to shape our understanding of these individuals and the times in which they lived.
Ron Chernow’s Bibliography
The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance (1990)
The Warburgs: A Family Saga (1993)
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (1998)
Alexander Hamilton (2004)
Grant (2017)