James Dobson, a towering figure of the Christian right and founder of Focus on the Family, has died at 89. His death was confirmed Thursday by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
Dobson built a conservative empire around faith, family values, and political activism that helped shape the religious right in America. From the pulpit to the White House, he spent decades battling abortion, opposing LGBTQ+ rights, and promoting a strict vision of Christian parenting.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley, their two children, a daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson launched a radio show in the 1970s offering parenting advice to Christian families. He founded Focus on the Family in 1977, and it quickly grew into a powerful platform. By the 1980s, it had more than 1,000 employees and aired across thousands of stations.
But Dobson wasn’t just giving advice to moms and dads—he was influencing presidents. He interviewed Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1985. He became a close ally of televangelist Jerry Falwell, who called him a “rising star” in 1989. Dobson later advised Donald Trump.
He celebrated the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022 as a major victory for his movement.
“Whether you like Donald Trump or not, whether you supported or voted for him or not, if you are supportive of this Dobbs decision that struck down Roe v. Wade, you have to mention in the same breath the man who made it possible,” Dobson said during a broadcast.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council—an organization Dobson also helped found—said Dobson belongs on the “Mount Rushmore” of Christian conservatives.
“Very few people have had such a positive impact in the shaping of the American family, from what we would describe as a biblical standpoint,” Perkins said.
Not everyone agreed with his approach. Historian and evangelical Christian John Fea criticized Dobson’s politics and parenting views. But he admitted Dobson’s message changed his own father’s behavior.
“My dad was a tough Marine who spanked his children out of anger, which Dobson opposed,” Fea said. “I’ve been critical of it most of my career. But as a historian what do you do with these stories? About a dad who becomes a better dad?”
Dobson’s influence ran so deep that some thought he might run for president in 2000.
“He had a big audience. He was not afraid to speak out. He became a very important voice and there was even talk that he might run for president,” said Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
Reed remembers traveling through rural America and always being able to hear Dobson’s voice.
“There was never a time, day or night, when I couldn’t find that guy,” he said. “There will probably never be another one like him.”
Dobson left Focus on the Family in 2010 but stayed in the spotlight through his new group, the James Dobson Family Institute, and his Family Talk radio show, which still reaches more than 1,500 outlets weekly.
He never backed down from controversial positions, especially on LGBTQ+ issues. Dobson promoted the debunked idea that homosexuality could be “cured.”
“The homosexual community will tell us that transformations never occur. That you cannot change,” he said in a 2021 video. He pushed stories of people who “no longer struggle with homosexuality” after attending religious programs.
That kind of messaging is now banned in 23 states and D.C., where conversion therapy for minors is outlawed.
Dobson also made headlines in 1989 when he interviewed serial killer Ted Bundy the night before his execution. Bundy blamed pornography for his crimes.
But Bundy’s attorney later dismissed that narrative. “I think that was a little bit of Ted telling the minister what he wanted to hear,” said James Coleman. “I had heard that before and I told Ted I never accepted it.”
