John Prescott Ellis

John Prescott Ellis was born on February 3, 1953. He is an American former journalist and media consultant, currently a partner at the venture-capital firm Sand Hills Partners. Ellis is a member of the Bush family; he is a nephew of former President George H. W. Bush and first cousin to two other U.S. presidents: George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida.

Family background and private life:

His father was Alexander B. "Sandy" Ellis, an insurance executive based in Boston. Sandy Ellis studied at Yale University and was a member of the Skull and Bones society. His mother was Nancy Walker Bush Ellis, the sister of George H. W. Bush. Ellis has siblings who have held prominent positions, including Joe Ellis, who served as CEO of the Denver Broncos, and Alexander Ellis III. Ellis’s family background includes Yale connections; both his father and uncle were Yale students and members of Skull and Bones. Ellis himself attended Yale University, graduating in 1976. He is married to Susan Smith Ellis, who has worked as an executive at Omnicom Group and served as CEO of (RED). They have two children and reside near the Hudson River.

Career:

In 1978, Ellis began his professional career working as a consultant for NBC News. He contributed to U.S. presidential campaigns, notably working on George H. W. Bush’s campaign in 1979. He returned to NBC, working within the elections unit until 1989. In 1989, Ellis was appointed as an Appleman Fellow at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and from 1991 he was a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics.

Between 1994 and 1999, Ellis served as a columnist for The Boston Globe. In 1998, he took on the role of head of the Election Night decision desk at Fox News Channel.

Election Night 2000:

On the night of the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Ellis worked as a consultant for Fox News, leading the Election Night decision desk, analyzing data from the Voter News Service. Fox News was the first network to call Florida for George W. Bush at 2:16 a.m. Eastern Time, a decision made during a brief lead for Bush caused by the Volusia error. The call was followed shortly by other networks. The result was controversial, with some journalists, including Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post, alleging that Ellis’s call may have been influenced by his familial relationship with Bush.

Post-election activities:

In an interview with The New Yorker magazine in 2000, Ellis stated he was responsible for decisions about calling states for Gore or Bush based on statistical results, and that he shared exit poll data with family members. Following the publication of the interview, Fox News Vice President John Moody acknowledged that Ellis had violated rules by sharing data, leading to consideration of disciplinary actions. Ellis claimed that he did not share information directly with the Bush campaign during early voting, but he did speak with the Bush family about ongoing results as they arrived later in the evening. Ellis maintained that he adhered more strictly to rules than other news organizations due to his familial ties. This controversy drew attention from the media and was featured in Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

Later career:

From 2002 to 2006, Ellis was a contributing columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Beginning in 2002, he served as a Senior Fellow at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. In 2005, he received the Outstanding Civilian Service Award from President George W. Bush, a recognition awarded to his cousin. In subsequent years, Ellis engaged in investment banking and became a partner at Kerr Creek Partners. He has contributed to political commentary through columns at Real Clear Politics and his own blog, Ellisblog!. In 2011, he was named editor of the Politix section at Business Insider, focusing on politics and business intersections. During the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Ellis contributed as an opinion editor for BuzzFeed News. In 2021, he hosted the News Items Podcast alongside co-host Rebecca Darst, produced by The Recount.