Louisa Thomas

Louisa Thomas (born 1981) is an American writer and sports journalist.

Louisa Thomas
Born	1981 (age 43–44)
Occupation	Journalist • author
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Harvard University
Genre	Non-fiction
Partner	John Urschel
Children	1
Parents	Evan Thomas (father) Oscie Thomas (mother)
Relatives	Norman Thomas (great-grandfather)

Early life and education

Thomas is the daughter of journalist and Newsweek editor Evan Thomas and Washington, D.C. attorney Oscie Thomas.^[1] She graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude with a degree in English in 2004.^[2]

Career

Thomas is a contributor to The New Yorker and a former editor and writer at Grantland. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and The Paris Review. Thomas has published two books: 2017's Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams, a biography of First Lady Louisa Adams, and 2011's Conscience: Two Soldiers, Two Pacifists, One Family—a Test of Will and Faith in World War I, about the moral conflicts her family endured during World War I and focusing on her pacifist great-grandfather, Norman Thomas. She is a former fellow at New America.^[3]

Though much of Thomas's writing is about sports, it is influenced by her studies of poetry; she cites Wallace Stevens as a major influence.^[1]

Personal life

Thomas's first marriage resulted in divorce. Her second is to mathematician and former NFL player John Urschel. They have one daughter.^[4] Urschel's autobiography, Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football, was co-written by Thomas and published in 2019.^[5][6]

Bibliography

Books

• Thomas, Louisa (June 2, 2011). Conscience: Two Soldiers, Two Pacifists, One Family--a Test of Will and Faith in World War I. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-101-51530-3.^[a]
• — (April 5, 2016). Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-101-98082-8.^[b][c][d]
• Urschel, John & Louisa Thomas, Louisa (May 14, 2019). Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football. Penguin Random House. ISBN 9780735224889.

Essays and reporting

• Thomas, Louisa (July 23, 2023). "The World Cup and the frustrating, inspiring state of women's soccer". The Sporting Scene. The New Yorker.^[e]

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Bibliography notes

1. Riding, Alan (July 1, 2011). "Book Review - Conscience - By Louisa Thomas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
2. "The Melania Trump of the 19th Century". Politico. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
3. Freeman, Joanne (April 4, 2016). "'Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams,' by Louisa Thomas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
4. Mansky, Jackie. "Meet the First and Only Foreign-Born First Lady: Louisa Catherine Adams". Retrieved June 29, 2016.
5. Available on website only.