2009 Washburn Award Recipient

Thomas L. Friedman, a world renowned author and journalist, has earned three Pulitzer Prizes for his work at the New York Times. His twice-weekly foreign affairs column reports on US domestic politics and foreign policy, the Middle East conflict, the environment, international economics, biodiversity, and energy.

For his coverage of the Middle East, Friedman received the 1983 and 1988 Pulitzer Prizes for international reporting (from Lebanon and Israel, respectively). He also won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary for "his clarity of vision...in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat."

Friedman's award-winning books include From Beirut to Jerusalem (1989 National Book Award and the Overseas Press Club Award), The Lexus and the Olive Tree (2000 Overseas Press Club Award for best nonfiction book on foreign policy), and The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (2005 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award).

His newest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution — and How It Can Renew America, brings a fresh perspective to the crises of destabilizing climate change and rising competition for energy.

In 2004 Friedman was awarded the Overseas Press Club Award for lifetime achievement and the honorary title Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. US News and World Report recognized him in 2005 as one of America's best leaders.

Thomas Friedman now lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, Ann, and their two daughters.