Myron James Magnet (born August 31, 1944) is an American journalist and historian. He was the editor of ''

City Journal ''City Journal'' is a public policy magazine and website, published by the conservative Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, that covers a range of topics on urban affairs, such as policing, education, housing, and other issues. The magazine ...

'' from 1994 to 2007. His latest book, ''Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution'', was published in 2019 by

Encounter Books Encounter Books is a book publisher in the United States known for publishing conservative authors. It was named for ''Encounter'', the now defunct literary magazine founded by Irving Kristol and Stephen Spender.

Biography

Magnet served as editor of ''City Journal'' from 1994 to 2007 and is now its editor-at-large. Under his editorship, the magazine helped shape Rudy Giuliani's agenda as mayor of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Before that, Magnet was a longtime member of the Board of Editors at '' Fortune'' magazine, a publication for which he wrote numerous articles on social policy, management, and finance, in addition to publishing essays and op-eds in ''

The New Criterion ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', '' The Claremont Review of Books'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', among other publications. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

has cited Magnet's 1993 ''The Dream and the Nightmare: The Sixties' Legacy to the Underclass'', as a profound influence on his approach to public policy.Ken Ringle
"The Hard Heart Of Poverty; Bush's'Compassionate Conservative' Guru Sees Culture as Culprit"
''The Washington Post'', April 3, 2001 The central premise of the book is that culture powerfully shapes economic and social outcomes, and the dramatic cultural transformation that the United States experienced during the 1960s unintentionally created an entrenched

underclass The underclass is the segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class. The general idea that a class system includes a population ''under'' the working class has ...

, whose social pathologies are still with us. His widely praised '' The Founders at Home '' recounts the story of the American Founding from the

Zenger ''Zenger'' was a 20th-century American underground newspaper that focused on corporate propaganda, government corruption, marijuana legalization and free speech. ''Zenger'', billed as "The Nation's Underground Newspaper," was headquartered in ...

trial to the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

through a series of vivid biographies that aim to explore each Founder's ideas and worldview as well as his actions. Encounter Books published his latest work, '' Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution, '' in May 2019. Former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey deemed it "A great read, . . . fascinating and provocative"; historian Richard Brookhiser called it "splendid" and "riveting"; and Michael Goodwin praised it as "a very readable gem,. . . a brilliant road map.” Of Magnet’s first book, '' Dickens and the Social Order '' (1985), the ''New York Times'' stated: “Perhaps he will consider writing a sequel; even if it turned out to be only half as good as ''Dickens and the Social Order'', it would be very well worth reading.” In November, 2008, President Bush awarded Magnet the

National Humanities Medal The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the human ...

"for scholarship and visionary influence in renewing our national culture of compassion. He has combined literary and cultural history with a profound understanding of contemporary urban life to examine new ways of relieving poverty and renewing civic institutions."“President and Mrs. Bush Attend Presentation of the 2008 National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals”
The White House, November 17, 2008 Myron Magnet receives the National Humanities Medal

Myron Magnet receives the National Humanities Medal

Magnet graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1962. He holds bachelor's degrees from both

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(1966) and the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, as well an M.A. from Cambridge and a Ph.D. in English Literature from Columbia University, where he also taught for several years.Biography
MyronMagnet.com

Bibliography

;Books written * ''Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution'' (Encounter, 2019, ) * ''The Founders at Home: The Building of America, 1735–1817'' (W. W. Norton, 2013, ) * ''The Dream and the Nightmare: The Sixties' Legacy to the Underclass'' (William Morrow, 1993, / Encounter Books, 2000, ) * ''Dickens and the Social Order'' (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1985, / ISI Books, 2004, ) ;Books edited * ''The Immigration Solution: A Better Plan than Today's'' (Ivan R. Dee, 2007, ) * ''Modern Sex: Liberation and its Discontents'' (Ivan R. Dee, 2001, ) * ''What Makes Charity Work? A Century of Public and Private Philanthropy'' (Ivan R. Dee, 2000, ) * ''The Millennial City: A New Urban Paradigm for 21st-Century America'' (Ivan R. Dee, 2000, )

References

External links

* Official Website
MyronMagnet.com
* * Boston Athenaeu
speech
November 19, 2013
Archive of City Journal columns

"Magnet's Milestone"
''The New York Sun'', December 29, 2006 * Ken Ringle

''The Washington Post'', April 3, 2001 * Myron Magnet

''The Wall Street Journal'', February 5, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnet, Myron 1944 births Living people American magazine editors American political writers Phillips Exeter Academy alumni National Humanities Medal recipients 20th-century American historians 21st-century American historians 20th-century American male writers Manhattan Institute for Policy Research American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers Columbia College (New York) alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni