Jon Stewart

For the Green Lantern, see John Stewart (comics).

Personal background

Jon Stewart was raised by a Jewish family in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Although he often jokes that he dropped his last name because people had difficulty with its pronunciation, Stewart has implied that it was actually due to a strained relationship with his father, a physicist who left the family in 1971 and with whom Stewart no longer has any contact http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6539433. Although he was a member of the school’s band, he was one of the few Jewish children in his school, and he has said he was subjected to much anti-Semitic harassment from some of his classmates. He was also short, still standing just 5′7″. He describes his high school self as “very into Eugene Debs and a bit of a leftist.”

Related Topics:
Jewish - Lawrenceville - New Jersey - 1971 - Eugene Debs

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Stewart was educated at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, majoring in psychology, and played on the men’s soccer team. An award titled the “Leibo” is now given out annually in honor of Stewart; it is given to the member of the men’s soccer team who experiences the most personal growth and provides the most laughs for his teammates. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, but quit after six months. http://www.nndb.com/people/222/000022156/

Related Topics:
College of William and Mary - Williamsburg, Virginia - Psychology - Soccer - Pi Kappa Alpha

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After graduating college in 1984, Stewart held numerous jobs, including contingency planner for the New Jersey Department of Human Services, contract administrator for City University of New York, puppeteer for children with disabilities, and bartender at a local blue-collar bar, the Franklin Corner Tavern.

Related Topics:
1984 - City University of New York - Puppeteer - Bartender

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Stewart married long-time girlfriend Tracey McShane in May 2000, at which time they both legally changed their last names to “Stewart.” The couple had their first child, Nathan Thomas Stewart (named after Stewart’s grandfather) on July 3, 2004. They are expecting their second child, a daughter, in February 2006.

Related Topics:
2000 - July 3 - 2004

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In 2004, Jon Stewart was the Class Day keynote speaker at Princeton University. In 2004, Stewart spoke at the College of William and Mary’s commencement ceremonies, and was presented with an honorary doctorate of arts degree. (as per http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=3650)

Related Topics:
2004 - Princeton University - College of William and Mary - Honorary - Doctorate of arts

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