Peggy Noonan Net Worth

What is Peggy Noonan's Net Worth?

Peggy Noonan is an American writer and political commentator who has a net worth of $3 million. A primary speechwriter for former US President Ronald Reagan, Peggy Noonan went on to become a political contributor to the Wall Street Journal, NBC News, and ABC News. She has also written several books, including ones focused on Reagan and his administration.

Early Life and Education

Peggy Noonan was born Margaret Noonan on September 7, 1950 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. After graduating from Rutherford High School in New Jersey, she attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, from which she earned her bachelor's degree.

Career Beginnings

Noonan began her career writing for anchorman Dan Rather at CBS News. From 1975 to 1977, she worked the overnight shift as a news writer at WEEI Radio in Boston. Noonan later became the editorial and public affairs director at the station. Toward the end of the 1970s, she taught journalism as an adjunct professor at New York University.

Charles Norfleet/Getty Images

Speechwriter

In 1984, Noonan became a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan. She wrote for him through 1986, and also served as his special assistant. During her time in the administration, Noonan penned such well-known Reagan speeches as "The boys of Pointe du Hoc" and the address he gave in the wake of the Challenger disaster. For the latter, she alluded to war poet John Magee's words about aviators who "slipped the surly bonds of earth… and touched the face of God." Noonan also worked on Reagan's tribute to former President John F. Kennedy at a fundraising event in Virginia. Later, she worked for George H. W. Bush's 1988 presidential campaign and helped popularize Bush's catchphrases "a kinder, gentler nation" and "a thousand points of light." Noonan also penned Bush's acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention, which included the famous line "Ready my lips: no new taxes."

Further Career

In the early '00s, Noonan began writing a weekly column for the Wall Street Journal called "Declarations." She also served as a consultant on the NBC political drama television series "The West Wing." Later in the decade, Noonan co-founded the website wowOwow.com. Among her other endeavors since then, she has contributed political commentary to NBC News and ABC News and is a regular commentator on the former station's program "Meet the Press."

(Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Books

Noonan has authored several books, some of which were New York Times bestsellers. Her first book, published in 1990, was "What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era." That was followed by "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" in 1994. Toward the end of the decade, Noonan published "Simply Speaking: How to Communicate Your Ideas with Style, Substance, and Clarity." She also wrote a chapter in the anthology "Character Above All." In the early 2000s, Noonan published "The Case Against Hillary Clinton" and "When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan." Her books since then have included "John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father," "Patriotic Grace: What it is and Why We Need it Now," and "A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings."

Criticism

Noonan's books as well as her Wall Street Journal column have been widely criticized for their sweeping generalizations about American politics and culture, their over-reliance on personal anecdotes and nostalgia, and their occasional racism. Among the specific comments that drew scorn was Noonan's assertion that Donald Trump was popular among Hispanic Americans because of what a Dominican deli worker told her.

Awards and Honors

In 1995, Noonan was given the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award. Later, in 2017, she received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

Personal Life

In late 1985, Noonan married US Chamber of Commerce chief economist Richard W. Rahn, who had been married twice before. The couple had a son, Will, before separating in 1989.

Who's Richer?

Peggy
Noonan

Compare!

Andrea
Mitchell