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James C. Dobson, Focus on the Family Founder, Dies at 89

The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute said he died in Colorado Springs following a brief illness.

PHILADELPHIA - JANUARY 8: Dr. James C. Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, gestures while speaking at the Justice Sunday III rally on January 8, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the Family Research Council, the rally was held one day before the start of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)
James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, speaks at a prayer event in San Diego in 2008.
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Overview

  • Dobson built Focus on the Family, founded in 1977, into a major evangelical media ministry that at its peak employed more than 1,000 people.
  • He left Focus on the Family in 2010 to launch the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute and continued his syndicated Family Talk radio program, which the institute says airs on about 1,500 outlets with over half a million weekly listeners.
  • A bestselling author of more than 70 books, he rose to national prominence after his 1970 parenting book Dare to Discipline and became a leading voice in evangelical family discourse.
  • He advised several Republican presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump, and helped mobilize religious conservatives on issues such as abortion and judicial nominations.
  • Tributes from Focus on the Family and conservative figures including Mike Pence and Franklin Graham praised his influence, while coverage noted his long-running opposition to abortion, LGBTQ rights and bans on conversion therapy.