Chris Matthews

American political commentator, former talk show host, and author

Chris Matthews is the former news anchor of Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC, where he anchored all presidential elections from 1994 to 2020 and hosted panel discussions with analysts and political figures. He is a Charles F. Kettering Foundation senior fellow. Throughout his career, Matthews has kept faith in electoral politics, a love of democracy, and hope in the judgment of the American people. After serving with the Peace Corps in Africa, Matthews worked for Senator Frank Moss and the US Senate Budget Committee. From 1977-1980, he worked in the Carter White House, first as a staffer and then as a speechwriter to President Jimmy Carter. Following the 1980 election, Matthews served as administrative assistant to Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. until 1986. In the late 1980s, Matthews left politics for journalism. He was a syndicated columnist and Washington bureau chief with the San Francisco Examiner, and then a national columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. He is the author of eight books, including: Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Game; Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America; Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero; Tip and The Gipper: When Politics Worked; Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit; and This Country: My Life in Politics and History. Matthews holds a BA from the College of the Holy Cross, attended graduate school in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds 34 honorary degrees.

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The Charles F. Kettering Foundation has established an elite group of senior fellows to work with the foundation to advance our pro-inclusive democracy mission. Learn more about all of our Kettering fellows.

Chris Matthews is the former news anchor of Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC, where he anchored all presidential elections from 1994 to 2020 and hosted panel discussions with analysts and political figures. Throughout his career, Matthews has kept faith in electoral politics, a love of democracy, and hope in the judgment of the American people. After serving with the Peace Corps in Africa, Matthews worked for Senator Frank Moss and the US Senate Budget Committee. From 1977-1980, he worked in the Carter White House, first as a staffer and then as a speechwriter to President Jimmy Carter. Following the 1980 election, Matthews served as administrative assistant to Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. until 1986. In the late 1980s, Matthews left politics for journalism. He was a syndicated columnist and Washington bureau chief with the San Francisco Examiner, and then a national columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. He is the author of eight books, including: Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Game; Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America; Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero; Tip and The Gipper: When Politics Worked; Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit; and This Country: My Life in Politics and History. Matthews holds a BA from the College of the Holy Cross, attended graduate school in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds 34 honorary degrees.