James Dobson, Presidential Advisor and Focus on the Family Founder, Dies at 89
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Dr. James C. Dobson, the child psychologist-turned-broadcaster who became one of the most influential figures in American evangelical life and a powerful voice in conservative politics, has died at the age of 89. His death was confirmed Thursday by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
Dobson, born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, was the son of a traveling evangelist. He trained as a child psychologist and later combined his academic expertise with evangelical faith to carve out a career that spanned decades, making him a household name among millions of Christian families.
In 1977, he founded Focus on the Family, a Colorado-based Christian ministry that at its height employed more than 1,000 staff. The organization became both a counseling resource for parents and a political powerhouse, giving Dobson a platform to influence national debates. Through radio programs, books, and public appearances, he promoted traditional family values, opposed abortion rights, and campaigned against the acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities. Focus on the Family’s stance extended to supporting conversion therapy — practices now widely discredited — and resisting legislative efforts to ban them.
Dobson’s reach into politics was substantial. He advised presidents from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, serving on commissions and faith advisory boards. Reagan appointed him to the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography in 1985, while George H.W. Bush also sought his counsel. In more recent years, he was part of Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board. Dobson often framed social debates in stark spiritual terms, warning that cultural shifts threatened the moral foundation of America.
“Dr. Dobson was a pioneer — a man of deep conviction whose voice shaped the way generations view faith, family and culture,” said Gary Bauer, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. “His bold leadership, integrity, and compassion helped equip countless families to thrive in a world of shifting values. He was a mentor, a counselor, and a steady voice of truth in turbulent times.”
Though admired by many evangelicals, Dobson’s political stances also generated controversy, even within the Republican Party. During the 1996 election, he warned GOP leaders that evangelical voters would abandon the party if its platform softened on abortion. His critics accused him of wielding his religious influence to push uncompromising positions on sensitive cultural issues.
At the same time, his media empire ensured a vast audience. His Focus on the Family broadcasts — and later his Family Talk radio show — reached more than 4,000 stations in North America and were translated into 27 languages across 160 countries. He authored more than 70 books, including Dare to Discipline, which became a bestseller in the 1970s and helped cement his reputation as America’s parenting counselor-in-chief.
His career included 14 years as an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and 17 years on the attending staff of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. He held licenses as a psychologist and marriage, family, and child counselor in California and Colorado, credentials that lent professional authority to his religious teachings.
Not all of his ventures were without controversy. In 1989, on the eve of serial killer Ted Bundy’s execution, Dobson conducted a widely publicized interview in which Bundy blamed pornography for fueling his crimes. Critics, including Bundy’s own attorney, later questioned the exchange as opportunistic and unconvincing.
Dobson stepped down from Focus on the Family in 2010 but remained active through his Family Institute and Family Talk broadcasts. By then, his influence had been likened to other conservative Christian leaders such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Falwell once called him a “rising star” of the religious right.
James Dobson is survived by his wife, Shirley, their two children, and several grandchildren. Whether praised as a defender of Christian values or criticized for deepening America’s culture wars, Dobson leaves a legacy that reshaped evangelical engagement with both family life and politics.