Carl Sagan Family Tree: The Story Behind Cosmos's Host

Carl Edward Sagan, born 9 November 1934 in Brooklyn, New York, USA, was the Cornell University professor who hosted Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980) — one of the most-watched documentary series in the history of US public television. NASA scientist (Mariner, Viking, Voyager, Galileo). Died 20 December 1996 in Seattle.

The Family's Roots: Eastern European Jewish

The Sagan family was Russian-Polish Jewish, settled in Brooklyn.

His Parents

Father: Samuel "Sam" Sagan (1905–1979) — Russian-born; garment worker; eventually managed an Allied Coat factory.

Mother: Rachel Molly Gruber Sagan (1906–1982) — Polish-American; homemaker; intellectually intense.

His Sister

Carol "Cari" Sagan — Carl's younger sister.

His Three Wives

  1. Lynn Margulis (1938–2011) — biologist; later major contributor to endosymbiotic theory; m. 1957, div. 1965.
  2. Linda Salzman — artist (drew the Pioneer plaque images with Carl); m. 1968, div. 1981.
  3. Ann Druyan, born 1949 — Carl's third wife from 1981 until his death; co-creator of Cosmos; Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014); Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020).

His Children

Dorion Sagan, born 1959 — son with Lynn Margulis; science writer.

Jeremy Sagan, born 1960 — son with Lynn Margulis; computer scientist.

Nick Sagan, born 1970 — son with Linda Salzman; novelist and screenwriter (Star Trek: The Next Generation).

Alexandra "Sasha" Sagan, born 1982 — daughter with Ann Druyan; writer.

Samuel "Sam" Sagan, born 1991 — son with Ann Druyan.

The Sagan Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Russian-Polish Jewish; Brooklyn, NY.

Father: Samuel Sagan (1905–1979) — garment worker.

Mother: Rachel Gruber Sagan (1906–1982).

Sister: Cari Sagan.

Wives: Lynn Margulis (1957–1965); Linda Salzman (1968–1981); Ann Druyan (1981 until his death 1996).

Children: Dorion (b. 1959) — science writer; Jeremy (b. 1960) — computer scientist; Nick (b. 1970) — novelist/screenwriter; Sasha (b. 1982) — writer; Sam (b. 1991).

Carl Sagan:

  • Born 9 November 1934, Brooklyn
  • Rahway High School (NJ)
  • University of Chicago: BA 1954; BSc 1955; MSc Physics 1956; PhD Astronomy 1960
  • Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory; UC Berkeley; Harvard (assistant professor)
  • Cornell University: from 1968 — David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences
  • NASA missions: Mariner 2 (Venus), Mariner 9 (Mars), Viking, Voyager (designed the Voyager Golden Record with Ann Druyan and others)
  • Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980) — PBS, 13 episodes, 500+ million viewers worldwide
  • Books: The Dragons of Eden (1977, Pulitzer Prize), Contact (1985, novel), Pale Blue Dot (1994)
  • Died 20 December 1996, Seattle (myelodysplasia and pneumonia)

What the Sagan Family Story Teaches Us

A Russian-born garment-worker father. An intellectually intense Polish-American mother. A younger sister. Three marriages, each producing children — five children in all across the three. A career as the most-watched science communicator of his generation.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Sagan story carries the same lesson. Some careers extend through marriage partnerships. Carl's third wife Ann Druyan is on the family record alongside Cosmos — and continued the series 18 and 24 years after his death. Write down which marriage produced which work.

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