Who Is Larry Summers' Wife? Meet Elisa New, A Published Writer And Ex Harvard University Professor

Larry Summers is one of the most well-known American economists. Back in the '80s and '90s, Larry worked as a public official. Notably, he served in the Council of Economic Advisors under President Reagan and as an economics adviser to the Dukakis Presidential campaign. He has also worked under the Bill Clinton Administration in the United States Department of the Treasury before being promoted to Secretary of the Treasury. Despite his other positions, Larry Summers is best known for his time as the 27th President of Harvard University.  

It is worth noting that in recent years, Larry Summers has found himself in hot water over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Last year, in 2025, he stepped back from his public commitments after emails between him and Epstein were made public. Additionally, it was revealed that he had asked Jeffrey for romantic advice and allegedly sought money from him to finance a poetry foundation led by his wife, Elisa New. A while back, on February 25, 2026, Larry Summers announced his plan to resign from his role as a tenured professor at Harvard University. As the spotlight remains on Summers, curiosity regarding his wife, Elisa New, has also started to grow. If you are interested in learning more about Elisa New, keep reading.  

Elisa New was born in Philadelphia  

According to reports. Larry Summers' wife, Elisa New, was born in Philadelphia back in 1958. However, she was raised in suburban Maryland. Coming to her parents, her mother, Joan New, was reportedly a party planner in Washington. On the other hand, her father, Ronald New, was a physicist and computer scientist who had previously worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington. Per The New York Times, during his tenure there, Ronald specialised in underwater acoustics.  

Elisa New attended Brandeis University and Columbia University  

According to the Harvard faculty website, Elisa New got her Bachelor's degree in 1980 from Brandeis University. Following her graduation, she completed her Master's in English from Columbia University in 1982. That was not all; she pursued a Master's degree once again, this time in Philosophy, and earned it in 1985. According to her LinkedIn profile, Elisa completed her PhD in English at the same university in 1988.  

It is worth noting that, before she got into Brandeis University, Elisa was already writing poetry. However, when she joined Brandeis, one of the professors there, Professor, Allen Grossman, further influenced her. Talking about the same to the school's alumni section on their site, Elisa stated: 

"I was in awe of his largeness of thought, presence and generosity as a teacher. I spent hours absorbing the difficult concepts he presented. He said poetry’s highest calling is that people speak to each other across time, that we galvanise our human community by writing poetry, all the way back to the ancient poets. I got my ambition to pursue that kind of impact from him." 

Elisa New is a poet and has worked as a professor  

Looking through her university, Brandeis’ site, one can see that Elisa New has held a number of professional titles over the years. For instance, she was the director of the Centre for Public Humanities at Arizona State University. She was also the Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature, Emerita at Harvard.  

Coming to her work as a poet, Eliza Neo was the host and director of PBS' Poetry in America. For the unversed, it is a television series that is "dedicated to making poetry accessible on screens of all kinds, from public television and streaming platforms to classrooms and airlines," according to her LinkedIn bio. To mention, Elisa is a published writer. Some of her works include Jacob's Cane: A Jewish Family's Journey from the Four Lands of Lithuania to the Ports of London and Baltimore: A Memoir in Five Generations (2009), and New England Beyond Criticism: In Defence of America's First Literature (2014). 

Elisa New and Larry Summers were introduced by their mutual friends  

According to a report by the Harvard Independent, Summers, who was the president of Harvard at the time and Elisa New were introduced by mutual friends. Apparently, it was two of their fellow professors from the Economics department, named Natasha Lance-Rogoff and Ken Rogoff, who introduced them to each other in the fall of 2001. After being told that she would find Summers “funny and irreverent,” Elisa made up her mind and sent him an email to ask him out. According to reports, after spending several nights on the phone, Summers and Elisa finally met up at a restaurant called Lala Rokh.  

Elisa New and Larry Summers got married in the latter's residence  

A few years after Larry Summers and Elisa New started dating, they got engaged in October 2005. According to The New York Times, Summers and Elisa married in December 2005. Reportedly, their wedding ceremony took place at Summers' residence in Elmwood. Later, the couple held their reception in the Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Mass. Many people, including friends, family, and colleagues from the Harvard schools, were present for the occasion.  

What are your thoughts on Larry Summers’ wife, Elisa New, amid his decision to resign from Harvard as a professor? Let us know.  

Also read: Who Is Ilhan Omar's Husband, Tim Mynett? Political Consultant, Has A Son From His Previous Marriage

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