Andrea Mitchell
A tenacious and trusted voice from Washington for decades, she has broken major political stories while maintaining unparalleled access to the corridors of power.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American journalist and news anchor·Birthday: October 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Andrea Mitchell built a formidable career by being both a sharp-edged reporter and a durable Washington institution. Starting in local radio, she joined NBC News in 1978 and quickly established herself as a force on the national security and political beats. Her reporting has been characterized by a deep roster of sources and a relentless pursuit of the story, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to multiple presidential administrations. As Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and anchor of her own MSNBC show, she blended hard news interrogation with analytical depth. Mitchell navigated the male-dominated world of Washington journalism with grit, facing down secretaries of state and presidents with equal measure of preparation and poise. Her marriage to former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan added a layer of personal intrigue to her coverage of economic policy, a duality she managed with professional rigor.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Andrea was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrea Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Andrea's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Has served as NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent since 1994, covering diplomacy and national security.
- Anchored "Andrea Mitchell Reports," a daily news and interview program on MSNBC, for over a decade.
- Broken numerous major stories, including key developments during the Clinton impeachment and the Iraq War.
- Received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association in 2017.
Did You Know?
She was the first female correspondent hired by the local CBS TV station in Washington, D.C., WTOP-TV (now WUSA).
Mitchell is married to former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan; they wed in 1997.
She famously continued her live TV report from a rooftop during a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Washington in 2011.
Before journalism, she considered a career in law and worked briefly for a congressman.
“The best journalism is often done in the face of great obstacles and great resistance.”
