DEC 5 Write Your Own Obituary

Bob Hagerty

James R. (Bob) Hagerty has worked as a reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune for more than 40 years. He has been based in New York, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Brussels and Atlanta. Now based in Pittsburgh, he writes obituaries about business leaders and other interesting characters for The WSJ. In the past, he has covered real estate, manufacturing, financial markets and other topics. His most popular story of all time was a Page 1 WSJ story about his mother, Marilyn Hagerty, after she went viral on the internet for writing a favorable review of the Olive Garden restaurant in Grand Forks. Hagerty graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in economics and journalism. He is the author of "The Fateful History of Fannie Mae," a history of U.S. government subsidies for the housing market, and is working on a new book about how to write your own life story. He is married to Lorraine Li-Hagerty and is the father of two children. He faithfully walks his dachshund, Harper. He is the founder of a Scrabble club and manages a senior softball team.

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