James Dobson
Founder of Focus on the Family and conservative evangelical leader.
He founded Focus on the Family in 1977 and grew the organization into a multimedia empire by the mid-1990s.[1] On April 21, 1936, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson was born to parents Myrtle Georgia and James C. Dobson Sr.[2] The University of Southern California awarded Dobson a doctorate in psychology in 1967.[3] On January 24, 1989, the day prior to Ted Bundy's execution, Dobson conducted a filmed interview with the serial killer.[4]
In 2003, Dobson resigned from his roles as president and CEO of Focus on the Family.[5] Shirley Deere and James Dobson entered into marriage on August 26, 1960, and together they raised two children.[6]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- James Clayton Dobson Jr.
- Born
- 21 April 1936
- Birthplace
- Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
- Died
- 21 August 2025
- Place of death
- Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
- Spouse
- Shirley Deere (1960)
- Children
- 2
- Education
- Point Loma Nazarene University (BA); University of Southern California (MA, PhD)
Facts from the source article.
What the cited sources add
According to the Slate article, Dobson's clout emanates from Focus on the Family, which aired radio shows reaching people in 115 countries every week.[7] A 2023 Health Policy Watch article reported that the Dr James Dobson Family Institute was a signatory to a letter attacking the PEPFAR program.[8] The Health Policy Watch article noted that PEPFAR has saved 25 million lives in its 20 years of existence.[8] According to that same Slate piece, Dobson might have been responsible for securing Bush's wins in both Ohio and Florida.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "James Dobson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Balmer, "Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism", Baylor University Press, 2004, p. 265; Roberts, "The Heavy Hitter", U.S. News & World Report, April 25, 1995, p. 34; Du Mez 2020, p. 78 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Dobson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stammer, "A Man of Millions : Broadcaster James Dobson Has Become a Leading Name in Evangelical Circles--and the Politicians Have Noticed", Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1995; "James C Dobson", San Benito History; McFadden, "James Dobson, Influential Leader of the Religious Right, Dies at 89", The New York Times, August 21, 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Dobson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Buss, "Family Man: the Biography of Dr. James Dobson", Tyndale House, 2005, p. 27; "Jim Dobson", Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, Wheaton College; Du Mez 2020, p. 78; Hankins, "American Evangelicals: A Contemporary History of a Mainstream Religious Movement", Rowman & Littlefield, 2008, p. 156 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Dobson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Aynesworth, "Bundy lore lives decade after killer was put to death", The Washington Times, January 24, 1999; Blumenthal, "Republican Gomorrah Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party", Nation Books, 2009, p. 77 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Dobson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "James Dobson resigns as Focus on the Family chair", NBC News, February 27, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Dobson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Goodstein, "Radio Show for Focus on the Family Founder", The New York Times, January 16, 2010; Draper, "Dobson's "rebel" son gets on board", The Denver Post, March 26, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Crowley, "James Dobson: The Religious Right's New Kingmaker.", Slate, November 12, 2004. facts only, no text reused. slate.com
- Cullinan, "Lives Are At Risk as Anti-Abortion Groups Attack HIV Programme PEPFAR", Health Policy Watch, June 20, 2023. facts only, no text reused. healthpolicy-watch.news
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article James Dobson (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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