Andrew Sullivan
A provocative writer who pioneered political blogging, championed gay marriage, and constantly challenged ideological orthodoxies from within conservatism.
Born 1963 (age 63)·British-American author, editor, and blogger·Birthday: August 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Andrew Sullivan, a British import with a razor-sharp Oxford-educated mind, became one of the most influential and contentious voices in American media. As a young editor of The New Republic, he pushed a form of conservatism focused on individual liberty and classical liberal principles. In 2000, he launched 'The Daily Dish,' a blog that mixed political analysis, reader engagement, and personal disclosure, effectively helping to invent the modern political blogosphere. His passionate, early advocacy for same-sex marriage, rooted in his own identity as a gay Catholic, often put him at odds with the right. Sullivan's career has been a journey through media's evolution—from print magazines to pioneering independent subscription blogging—marked by fierce intellectual independence and a willingness to publicly evolve his views.
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.
Andrew was born in 1963, 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 Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Launched 'The Daily Dish' in 2000, a blog that became a model for political commentary and reader-funded journalism.
- Served as editor of The New Republic from 1991 to 1996, significantly influencing the magazine's direction during his tenure.
- Wrote a landmark 1989 New Republic essay, 'Here Comes the Groom,' making a conservative case for same-sex marriage.
- Successfully transitioned his blog to a subscriber-supported model, proving the viability of independent digital writing.
Did You Know?
He was diagnosed with HIV in the 1990s and has written extensively about his health and treatment.
Sullivan is a devout Catholic whose faith has deeply informed his political and social writing.
He participated in the famous 1997 episode of 'Firing Line' where he debated William F. Buckley Jr. on gay marriage.
His blog was hosted by The Atlantic, Time, and The Daily Beast before he took it fully independent.
“The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.”
