Bill Keller
A steady-handed editor who guided The New York Times through the digital upheaval, then turned his focus to reforming America's criminal justice system.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American journalist·Birthday: January 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bill Keller's career traces the arc of modern American journalism, from Cold War correspondent to the leader of its most powerful newsroom. After cutting his teeth reporting from Moscow for The New York Times, where he won a Pulitzer for his clear-eyed coverage of the Soviet Union's collapse, he ascended to the paper's top editorial job in 2003. His tenure as executive editor was defined by navigating the seismic shift to digital news while upholding investigative rigor, overseeing Pulitzer-winning work on topics from Iraq War fallout to Wall Street recklessness. In a move that surprised many, he left that pinnacle to write a column and then, in 2014, to launch The Marshall Project. This nonprofit newsroom, dedicated solely to criminal justice, became his second act, applying the Times' high journalistic standards to expose the deep flaws in America's prisons and courts.
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.
Bill was born in 1949, 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 Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
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
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
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
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
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
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as executive editor of The New York Times from 2003 to 2011, overseeing its digital transition and major investigative projects.
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1989 for his coverage of the Soviet Union.
- Was the founding editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice.
- Led the Times newsroom during the publication of major stories like the Pentagon Papers revelation and the 2008 financial crisis coverage.
- Authored a notable column on the ethics and future of journalism after stepping down as editor.
Did You Know?
He initially turned down the offer to become executive editor of the Times in 2001 before accepting the role two years later.
Keller's father was a manager for Chevron, and he spent part of his childhood in Nigeria and Canada.
He is married to Emma Gilbey Keller, a British journalist and author.
After leaving the Times masthead, he wrote a lengthy essay defending the paper's controversial publication of a Donald Trump tax return story in 2016.
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