Josh Earnest
{{Short description|Former White House Press Secretary (born 1975)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Josh Earnest
| image = Joshearnest.jpg
| office = 29th White House Press Secretary
| president = Barack Obama
| deputy = Eric Schultz
| term_start = June 20, 2014
| term_end = January 20, 2017
| predecessor = Jay Carney
| successor = Sean Spicer
| office1 = White House Deputy Press Secretary
| president1 = Barack Obama
| predecessor1 = Bill Burton
| successor1 = Eric Schultz
| term_start1 = February 11, 2011
| term_end1 = June 20, 2014
| birth_name = Joshua Ryan Henry Earnest
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|1|22}}
| birth_place = Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| spouse = {{marriage|Natalie Wyeth|2012}}
| children = 2
| education = Rice University (BA)
| 1blankname1 = Secretary
| 1namedata1 = Jay Carney
}}
Joshua Ryan Henry Earnest[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/fashion/weddings/natalie-wyeth-joshua-earnest-weddings.html "Weddings: Earnest/Wyeth"]. The New York Times. August 26, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2016. (born January 22, 1975){{cite web|last=Allen|first=Mike|title=Josh Earnest turns 40|url=http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2015/01/denis-mcdonough-playbook-lunch-bill-burton-to-calif-marc-caputo-to-cover-florida-for-politico-garrett-graff-editor-of-politico-mag-josh-earnest-is-4-0-bday-kendra-barkoff-212543|access-date=January 22, 2015}} is an American political advisor who served as White House press secretary under President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017. He was Obama's third Press Secretary and the 29th to hold the position. He succeeded Jay Carney as Obama's press secretary, in 2014, and was succeeded by President Donald Trump's first presidential press secretary, Sean Spicer. He is Executive Vice President of Communications and Advertising for United Airlines.
Early life and education
Earnest was born in Kansas City, Missouri,{{Cite web|url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article164945307.html|title=Former White House press secretary Josh Earnest catches up with Royals in Baltimore|website=kansascity|language=en|access-date=2019-01-22}} the son of Donald H. Earnest, an athletic director, and Jeanne M. Earnest, a psychologist.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/fashion/weddings/natalie-wyeth-joshua-earnest-weddings.html|title=Natalie Wyeth, Joshua Earnest - Weddings|last=Mallozzi|first=Vincent M.|date=2012-08-26|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-01-22|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} He attended The Barstow School, a private secondary school, on a scholarship.
He graduated from Rice University, in 1997, with a degree in political science and policy studies.{{cite web|last1=Topaz|first1=Jonathan|title=10 Things about Josh Earnest|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/josh-earnest-facts-white-house-press-secretary-107269|website=Politico|access-date=November 19, 2015}} Earnest was a member of Sid Richardson College and was the campus-wide beer bike coordinator while at Rice University.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ricethresher.org/article/2015/04/rice-alumnus-josh-earnest-recalls-path-to-white-house|title=Rice alumnus Josh Earnest recalls path to White House|work=The Rice Thresher|access-date=2018-11-29}}
Career
Immediately following college, he worked for Lee P. Brown during the 1997 Houston mayoral election.{{cite web|last=Roth|first=Bennett|title=Clinton, Obama plan Texas size campaign push|url=https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Clinton-Obama-plan-Texas-size-campaign-push-1756512.php|access-date=August 18, 2012}} Earnest served as a congressional aide to U.S. congressman Robert Marion Berry, from 2002 to 2003 after working on Michael Bloomberg's first campaign for mayor of New York City.{{cite news|url=http://heavy.com/news/2014/05/josh-earnest-jay-carney-press-secretary-marrion-berry|title=Josh Earnest: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|last=Guariglia|first=Matthew|date=May 30, 2014|publisher=Heavy|access-date=November 1, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220232912/https://heavy.com/news/2014/05/josh-earnest-jay-carney-press-secretary-marrion-berry/|url-status=dead}}
After working on Capitol Hill, Earnest worked for the Democratic National Committee, from 2003 to 2006, under both Terry McAuliffe and Howard Dean.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gwu.edu/~action/2008/parties08/dncorg06.html |title=DNC Organization-2005-06 Edition |website=Gwu.edu |access-date=December 1, 2016}} Earnest was Jim Davis' communications director during Davis' 2006 gubernatorial campaign in Florida. He moved to Iowa, in December 2006, to serve as national communications director for then-Iowa governor Tom Vilsack's presidential campaign.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gwu.edu/~action/2008/vilsack/vilsackorg.html |title=Key People-Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-IA) |website=Gwu.edu |access-date=December 1, 2016}}
He then joined Barack Obama's presidential campaign in March 2007 as Obama's Iowa communications director. After Obama's Iowa caucus victory, Earnest worked as a top communications aide in several primary contests including South Carolina, Texas and Pennsylvania. During the 2008 general election, Earnest served as the campaign's deputy communication director.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gwu.edu/~action/2008/obama/obamaorggen.html |title=Key People-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) General Election Edition |website=Gwu.edu |access-date=December 1, 2016}} After Obama was elected president, Earnest moved to Washington, D.C., and served as the communications director for the presidential inaugural committee.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gwu.edu/~action/2008/chrninau08/pic2009org.html |title=2009 Presidential Inaugural Committees (PIC, JCCIC and AFIC) Organization |website=Gwu.edu |access-date=December 1, 2016}}
Earnest started at the White House on Obama's first full day in office, January 21, 2009, as deputy press secretary{{Cite web|url=https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/reporting-for-duty/|title=President Obama's First Day|last=Zeleny|first=Jeff|date=2009-01-21|website=The Caucus|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-22}} under Robert Gibbs. Later, Earnest was promoted and served as principal deputy White House press secretary and chief of staff to Jay Carney, occasionally filling in during press briefings. Earnest was the voice of West Wing Week, an online video series produced by the White House that chronicled President Barack Obama's activities each week.{{cite web|last=Epstein|first=Jennifer|title=Meet Josh Earnest|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/josh-earnest-heads-to-the-podium-108138.html|website=Politico.com|access-date=June 20, 2014}}
On May 30, 2014, Obama announced that Josh Earnest would succeed Carney as the White House press secretary.{{cite news|last=Camia|first=Catalina|title=White House spokesman Jay Carney at the same time.resigns|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/05/30/jay-carney-white-house-spokeman-resigns/9772421|access-date=May 30, 2014|newspaper=USA Today}} In an annual survey conducted by the Politico Magazine in April 2015, he was voted the most helpful press official in the Obama administration and the best White House press secretary by nearly 70 journalists.{{cite web|title=The Truth About Covering Obama|url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/white-house-correspondents-survey-117140.html|website=Politico.com|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-date=June 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629152849/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/white-house-correspondents-survey-117140.html|url-status=dead}}
He delivered his last press briefing of the Obama administration on January 17, 2017, in which he was surprised by Obama, who then lauded Earnest for his years of service under his administration.{{cite news|title=Obama pops in final White House briefing|url=http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/01/17/final-obama-white-house-briefing.cnn|work=cnn.com|date=January 17, 2017}}
Earnest has worked as a political analyst and commentator for NBC News and MSNBC since March 2017.[https://thehill.com/homenews/media/325874-nbc-news-signs-former-white-house-press-secretary-josh-earnest/ NBC News Signs former White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest], The Hill, March 27, 2017, Retrieved April 11, 2018
In May 2018, Earnest began serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for United Airlines, based at their headquarters in Chicago.[http://newsroom.united.com/2018-05-03-United-Airlines-Names-Josh-Earnest-Chief-Communications-Officer United Airlines Names Josh Earnest Chief Communications Officer], May 3, 2018, Retrieved May 3, 2018 In September 2023, he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Communications and Advertising.{{Cite web |last=Byrd |first=Sam |date=September 21, 2023 |title=Rice alum and board member takes flight |url=https://news.rice.edu/news/2023/rice-alum-and-board-member-takes-flight |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=Rice University News and Media Relations}} He also serves on the Board of Advisors of Let America Vote, an organization founded by former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander that aims to end voter suppression.{{cite web|url=https://www.letamericavote.org/boardofadvisors/|title=Advisors|publisher=Let America Vote|access-date=May 1, 2018}}
Personal life
In August 2012, Earnest married Natalie Wyeth in a Christian ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. His wife is a great-granddaughter of illustrator N. C. Wyeth, a granddaughter of engineer Nathaniel C. Wyeth, and a former veteran Treasury Department official. They have a son and a daughter.{{cite web|last=Palleta|first=Damian|title=Treasury Veteran Natalie Wyeth Earnest to Step Down|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/12/05/treasury-veteran-natalie-wyeth-earnest-to-step-down|website=Blogs.wsj.com|access-date=December 5, 2014}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{official website|https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/josh-earnest}}
- {{C-SPAN|1029879}}
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{{s-bef|before=Jay Carney}}
{{s-ttl|title=White House Press Secretary|years=2014–2017}}
{{s-aft|after=Sean Spicer}}
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{{Obama Administration personnel}}
{{WHPS}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earnest, Josh}}
Category:Obama administration personnel
Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri
Category:Rice University alumni