COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. — Dr. James Dobson, a politically influential child psychologist who started a radio show counseling Christians on how to be good parents, founded the conservative ministry Focus on the Family and was long a campaigner against abortion and gay rights, died on Thursday. He was 89.

His death was confirmed by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.

Dobson founded Focus on the Family in 1977, which had more than 1,000 employees at its peak and gave Dobson a platform to weigh in on legislation, advise White House panels and advocate against laws to ban conversion therapy to "cure" gay people.

He served on President Donald Trump 's Evangelical Executive Advisory Board.

Dobson left Focus on the Family in 2010 and founded the institute that bears his name and continued wit

See Full Page