William McGurn (born December 4, 1958) is an American political writer. He was the chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush from June 2006 until February 2008, replacing Michael Gerson.[ National Review PDF]
Early life
McGurn was born December 4, 1958, in San Diego. He received his bachelor's degree in
philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in 1981; he later earned a master's degree in communications from Boston University.
[ Wall Street Journal profile]
Career
He began his career as the managing editor at the
American Spectator. In 1989, he moved to
National Review where he was the Washington Bureau Chief until 1992. From 1992 to 1998, McGurn served as the senior editor of the
Far Eastern Economic Review. He then became Chief Editorial Writer for
The Wall Street Journal. He joined the White House as a speechwriter in February 2005. He became the Chief Speechwriter for President George W. Bush in 2006. In February 2008 he departed to become a visiting fellow at Hillsdale College. Early in 2009 he joined
News Corporation, which had bought
The Wall Street Journal in August 2007, as the speechwriter for News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch. In December 2012, he became Editorial Page Editor of the
New York Post. He rejoined
The Wall Street Journal in April 2015 and now writes the Main Street
columnist; he is also an executive at its parent company.
[Dylan Byers, William McGurn named New York Post editorial page editor, Politico, 12/11/12.][ William McGurn biography.]
On January 23, 2023, two days after the 2023 Monterey Park Shooting, McGurn published an op-ed titled, "Are There “Too Many Asians”?" in the Wall Street Journal opinion section. Its headline was criticized for its supposed insensitivity. The article was later renamed "China and the Population Bomb That Wasn’t".
Personal life
McGurn and his wife, Julie Hoffman, live in Madison,
New Jersey. They previously lived in Hong Kong where they adopted three daughters from China.
[McGurn, William. "Hostage to NJ Transit", New York Post, republished online by The Heartland Institute, 17 November 2004. Accessed July 19, 2011. "To put this all in perspective, the brochure for my 1910 home in suburban Madison boasts that the 'fastest train' will get you to Manhattan in 47 minutes."][McGurn, William. "NNDB Biography".]
External links
