Who is Lachlan Murdoch, Richard Murdoch’s heir and new chairman of Fox and News Corp? Age, family and net worth

Lachlan Murdoch, 52, is the son of media titan Rupert Murdoch, who this week stepped down as the chairmen of News Corp and Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News.

The question of who will take over after Rupert Murdoch, 92, took his leave from these companies has long been an open question. When the news came this week, Lachlan was named chair of both companies, an indicator that he will be the Murdoch to carry on the family business.

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The early years of Lachlan’s life

Lachlan is the oldest son of his father’s six children. Born in London and raised in New York City, Lachlan and his siblings attended some of the country’s best private schools before attending Princeton University, where he earned a degree in philosophy. In 1999, Lachlan married the Australian model and actress Sarah O’Hare. The couple are the parents of three children: two sons, Alexander and Aidan Patrick, and one daughter, Aerin Elisabeth.

The presumed heir enters the family business

For decades, his father has prepared Lachlan to take over the family’s vast media properties. After graduating from Princeton in 1994, Lachlan moved to Australia, and within two years, he would be appointed CEO of News Limited and executive director of News Corp. When Lachlan decided to leave News Corp abruptly in 2005, his future as the heir to the media empire built by his father was called into question. Lachlan focused on other business ventures for almost a decade, dipping his toe in private equity, before returning to News Corp in 2014 as a non-executive chairman.

According to Forbes, the Murdoch family is worth around $17.3 billion, and estimating Lachlan’s individual net worth is challenging because of how the assets are organized.