James Dobson, the Christian family psychologist-turned media mogul who founded Focus on the Family and launched a career in public ministry in which he exerted influence over the highest levels of American politics, has died. He was 89.
The Colorado Springs-based Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, one of several evangelical Christian parachurch groups that Dobson helped found and lead in the past 50 years, announced its founders’ passing Aug. 21.
“Dr. Dobson was a pioneer—a man of deep conviction whose voice shaped the way generations view faith, family and culture,” Gary Bauer, senior vice president of public policy at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, said in a news release. “His bold leadership, integrity, and compassion helped equip countless families to thrive in a world of shifting values. He was a mentor, a counselor, and a steady voice of truth in turbulent times.”
Dobson’s legacy is defined by his longtime commitment to educating evangelicals on traditional family values, placing him squarely in the middle of debates about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
Copies of “Family Man”, the biography of Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, are seen in the bookstore at the Focus headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado July 20, 2007. Picture taken July 20, 2007. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES)
His prominence as an author and radio host positioned him for higher political gains. He served in special advisory roles to several Republican presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump.
In one well-known anecdote about Dobson’s access to elite circles of conservative politics, Dobson learned information about the religious views of President George W. Bush’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Harriet E. Miers.
Bush acknowledged in an October 2005 news conference that a member of his administration, Karl Rove, had privately shared with Dobson information about Miers that’s typically considered off limits to share publicly in that stage of a Supreme Court justice’s nomination. Miers’ nomination ultimately fell apart.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Dobson, Focus on the Family founder, has died
