A Short History of Rupert Murdoch's Heirs Apparent

In every empire with an aging monarch, the hint of a new crown price is enough to whip courtiers into a frenzy. So it was Thursday, when CNBC reported, based on inside sources, that James Murdoch, Rupert’s son, is being tapped to take his father’s chair as CEO of 21st Century Fox.

There’s a great deal that’s still unclear about the change—for example, when it will happen and exactly what role James Murdoch will play. His older brother Lachlan is also getting a new role, as co-chairman. There’s also some questions about how serious a role change this is. The 84-year-old Australian mogul doesn’t seem ready to fade off into retirement anytime soon. CNBC cautioned that “no one doubts the elder Murdoch will still have the final say on whatever goes on at Fox.” (Markets, apparently not so sure, battered Fox’s stock after the news.)

See also

The Age of Murdoch

James Murdoch, 42, seems to have survived a near-death experience as head of News International, the British division of the company. (Lachlan is 43.) When the company was investigated in a massive phone-hacking scandal, he was forced to testify before Parliament, was repeatedly accused of being a liar, and eventually resigned. In contrast to the prevailing politics at the company, he is said to be “steadfastly liberal.”

But obscure palace intrigue in the Murdoch empire is nothing new. In fact, it’s the norm, as a quick trip through old news headlines makes very clear. Let’s look back.

1997: Rupert Murdoch states that Lachlan Murdoch is “first among equals” in the race to succeed him. July 2005: Lachlan Murdoch abruptly resigns from News Corp., “relinquishing his status as heir apparent,” The Los Angeles Times reports. “The departure of the 33-year-old Lachlan Murdoch, who was being groomed to succeed his father, appears to signal the ascendancy of Murdoch's younger son, James, 32, who runs News Corp.'s British satellite operations.” August 2011: Reuters reports that Chase Carey, Murdoch’s magnificently mustachioed longtime lieutenant, is next in line for the throne at News Corp.: “Rupert Murdoch acknowledged publicly for the first time that his son James is not the preferred choice to succeed him as News Corp. CEO, at least in the near-term.” CNBC reports, however, that “Murdoch has made it clear he wants his family to remain in charge of News Corp.” February 2012: USA Today reports that Carey has solidified his position as second-in-line to the boss with James’s resignation from News International. "James' resignation was inevitable," Louis Ureneck, a Boston University journalism professor, tells the paper. "He either condoned the hacking or was irresponsibly unaware. Neither is acceptable in a top executive of a media company." August 2012: “Rupert Murdoch’s daughter Elisabeth has moved to distance herself from her brother James and position herself to play a major role at the helm of News Corporation,” The Telegraph reports. July 2013: The Guardian reports that in a secretly taped conversation with staffers at his tabloid The Sun, Rupert Murdoch said his son Lachlan would succeed him. "Will the company's support vanish overnight if you're not here?" an editor asked. "Yes—if I wasn't here, the decision would be—well, it will either be with my son, Lachlan, or with Robert Thomson [News Corporation chief executive],” Rupert replied. “And you don't have any worries about either of them.” March 2014: The Guardian again reports that Lachlan is once again the heir apparent. “The decision caps a remarkable comeback for the 42-year-old, who once dared to turn his back on his father's empire, and who had long been seen as lagging behind younger brother James and older sister Elisabeth in the eagerly studied succession race,” writes Roy Greenslade. But