Jack Weatherford

Weatherford was born in 1946.⁠[1]

He was born in South Carolina in the United States.⁠[2]

He received a B.A. in political science from the University of South Carolina in 1967, an M.A. in sociology in 1972 and an M.A. in anthropology in 1973, later earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California, San Diego, and did postdoctoral work at Duke University.⁠[3]

In 1981 Rawson, Wade in New York published Tribes on the Hill under the name J. McIver Weatherford.⁠[1]

He began teaching anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota in 1983 and worked with contemporary groups in Bolivia and the Amazon.⁠[3]

On October 1, 1988, Crown published his Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World, which describes how American Indians shaped the world’s economy, cuisine, politics, medicine and architecture.⁠[4]

A review called one of its central claims “extravagant but compelling.”⁠[4]

His early books on Native Americans won Minnesota Book Awards in 1989 and 1992.⁠[2]

He recalled reading Harold Lamb’s Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men at the age of twelve and finding five Mongolian stamps; after Mongolia opened in the 1990s he and his wife, Walker Pearce, traveled there, both already over fifty.⁠[5]

On October 1, 1991, Crown published his Native Roots: How the Indians Enriched America; a review described the book as “concise and scholarly, yet at times lively and even poetic.”⁠[6]

In 1994 Crown Publishers published his Savages and Civilization: Who Will Survive?, organized in three parts on tribal, national and world culture; a review called his argument that the city will no longer serve as a center of civilization “debatable.”⁠[7]

On February 1, 1997, Crown published his The History of Money: The Struggle over Money from Sandstone to Cyberspace, which a review called “An entertaining, on-the-money introduction.”⁠[8]

In 2004 Crown Publishers published his Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, which argues that the world’s change from the medieval to the modern began because of the Mongols. In a review, scholar Timothy May called the author a brilliant writer but said he “overstates his case,” making connections that are often tenuous.⁠[9]

The book became a New York Times bestseller, sold over 300,000 copies and was translated into more than 20 languages; in 2011 it was one of two winners of Amazon’s audiobook contest, and on October 12, 2014, it ranked sixth on the New York Times e-book list.⁠[10]

In 2007 Mongolian President Enkhbayar awarded him the Order of the Polar Star.⁠[3]

In 2010 Crown published his The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire; reviewer Steve Weinberg wrote that Weatherford is convinced the empire would have crumbled much faster without the daughters’ wisdom, and called the book clearly written but at times difficult to follow.⁠[11]

BookPage gave the book a starred review, calling it “fascinating.”⁠[12]

The book was translated into six languages.⁠[13]

In 2016 he published Genghis Khan and the Quest for God, arguing that Genghis Khan was one of the first founders of religious freedom in human history.⁠[13]

He said the topic of the book was chosen by his wife, Walker Pearce.⁠[5]

A review called him “an engaging storyteller” but criticized the book for frequently presenting speculation about Khan’s personal psychology as fact.⁠[14]

On November 22, 2022, he arrived in Mongolia at the invitation of President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.⁠[10]

A presidential decree conferred the Order of Chinggis Khaan on him for his contribution to the development of Chinggis Khaan studies, at a ceremony in Ulaanbaatar marking the 860th anniversary of Chinggis Khaan’s birth.⁠[15]

Macalester College said he was the first foreigner to receive Mongolia’s highest state award. He said, “Mongolians have given me so much more than I have given them.”⁠[16]

On February 4, 2025, Bloomsbury published Emperor of the Seas, his book on Kublai Khan.⁠[17]

The book’s full title is Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China.⁠[18]

On August 1, 2025, he appeared as the guest of episode 476 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, discussing Genghis Khan’s origins, the Mongol army and its tactics, religious freedom, Silk Road trade, Kublai Khan’s conquest of China and the fall of the Mongol Empire.⁠[19]

He has retired from Macalester College and now divides his time between the United States and Mongolia.⁠[20]

He runs the Jack Weatherford Foundation.⁠[2]

Macalester College: Official website: https://www.macalester.edu/ (opens in a new window)⁠[16]