A longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump and one of the most influential voices in American evangelical Christianity, James Dobson died Thursday morning at the age of 89. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1936, Dobson built a decades-long career that blended psychology, ministry, and cultural commentary. Through his books, radio broadcasts, and public advocacy, he encouraged families to place faith, marriage, and parenting at the center of daily life.
Dobson first rose to national prominence in the 1970s when he founded Focus on the Family in California. The organization quickly expanded and became a leading voice for evangelical perspectives on parenting, marriage, and social issues. By the 1980s and 1990s, its daily radio program was broadcast on thousands of stations and translated into dozens of languages worldwide.
Over the course of his career, Dobson wrote more than 70 books on faith and family life, including widely read titles such as The New Dare to Discipline and When God Doesn’t Make Sense. After stepping down from Focus on the Family in 2010, he launched the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, continuing his outreach through radio and public policy engagement. Dobson is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley, two children, and two grandchildren.
