Dr. James Dobson, a prominent evangelical leader, psychologist, and former adviser to Donald Trump, died Thursday morning at the age of 89. For more than five decades, Dobson was a powerful voice in American Christianity, advocating for faith-centered family life and traditional values.
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1936, Dobson first built his career as a clinical psychologist before gaining national attention in the 1970s. He founded Focus on the Family in California, which quickly grew into one of the most influential evangelical ministries in the United States. His daily radio program eventually aired on thousands of stations across North America and reached audiences in more than 160 countries, making it one of the most widely heard Christian broadcasts in the world.
Dobson also wrote more than 70 books on parenting, marriage, and faith, including the bestselling The New Dare to Discipline and When God Doesn’t Make Sense. After leaving Focus on the Family in 2010, he founded the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute to continue promoting faith-based family values. Dobson is survived by his wife, Shirley, their two children, and two grandchildren.
