Short questions with Dana Perino for Rich Edson

You've seen us on screen, but have you ever wondered what we're like off-camera? 

For the last few months, I’ve enjoyed checking in with some of your favorite Fox personalities to learn more about who they are behind the scenes. 

What's the one thing Jesse Watters couldn’t live without? What's Bill Hemmer’s favorite Halloween costume? And what's sitting on Greg Gutfeld’s nightstand? 

But that's not all! The fun is just getting started.

This week, we're excited to shine the spotlight on Rich Edson, a senior national correspondent for Fox News Channel. He joined the FOX Business Network (FBN) as a Washington correspondent in October 2007 and transitioned to Fox News Channel in 2015.

P.S. We have so much more in store for you. Stay tuned each week for new editions of "Short Questions with Dana Perino" — and if there’s a question you want answers to or a suggestion for the person I should interview next, leave a note in the comments section below. 

This week, Dana Perino speaks to Washington-based Fox News Channel correspondent Rich Edson. "My grandfather served in World War II and died shortly after I moved to Washington," says Edson. "He and my grandmother helped raise me, and we were very close. After he died, I brought my grandmother to Washington to see the World War II Memorial." (Fox News)

Q: Let’s start with a little background. Where are you from? Where did you go to school? And what local markets did you work in prior to joining Fox?

RE: I’m from Dumont, New Jersey. It’s a small, densely populated town a few miles from New York.  

I went to Rutgers University and then the Columbia Journalism School. In my first TV job, I was a local sports reporter/anchor in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  

I then covered city and county governments in and around Savannah, Georgia. I wanted to report on national issues and in 2007 moved to Washington without a steady job. 

Soon after, FOX Business hired me as one of its first D.C. correspondents, and I’ve been here ever since. 

Q: You’ve covered a number of big stories since starting here at Fox. Which one stands out to you as your favorite assignment to-date and why? 

RE: Interviewing then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the DMZ a few feet into North Korea.  

"The world was trying to figure out what the president’s foreign policy would be."  

This was just a few months into the Trump administration and the world was trying to figure out what the president’s foreign policy would be.  

So were we — and we were asking his Secretary of State, recently Exxon’s CEO, about the administration’s Asia policy with North Korean troops standing feet away.  

Q: Imagine I'm sending you on an epic all-American food road trip. Lobster rolls in Cape Cod, deep dish in Chicago, Gumbo in New Orleans, you get the picture. Which U.S. city do you think would steal the show and what iconic food would be its crowning glory?

RE: This question leads itself to some hometown bias and shenanigans. So I’m going to exclude NY/NJ Italian food and bagels. 

Let’s go to Austin/San Antonio and get some Tex-Mex. 

Q: Washington, D.C., the heart of our nation's history, is home to countless iconic monuments and museums. Each one tells a unique story about the fabric of America. I loved visiting them when I lived in D.C. many years ago. What is your favorite national monument or museum to visit in D.C. and why? 

RE: My grandfather served in World War II and died shortly after I moved to Washington. 

He and my grandmother helped raise me, and we were very close. After he died, I brought my grandmother to Washington to see the World War II Memorial.  

We left a framed copy of their wedding photo on the New York column. 

"After [my grandfather] died, I brought my grandmother to Washington to see the World War II Memorial." 

I run past that memorial at least once a week and I think of them every time I do.  

Q: In an alternate universe where you have a different career, what would you be doing?

RE: Comedy! I did improv in college. Going to school so close to New York, I thought I might give the comedy scene a try after graduating. 

The problem was that I developed a real love of news and reporting.    

Q: If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be, and what would your superhero name be?

RE: Remember that '90s show where that guy got tomorrow’s newspaper today? 

Professionally, that’d be a huge help.  

Q: What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

RE: I finished first in my age group in a marathon in Antarctica. 

I also finished nowhere near first in my age group in a marathon in Kenya. 

Q: You are often seen reporting live from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. If you could host a dinner party at the White House with any three former U.S. presidents, dead or alive, who would you invite?

RE: Washington: He could’ve been king. He was the first president to navigate the Constitution. 

"Washington knew when to leave power for the good of the country and set this precedent for centuries."

Washington knew when to leave power for the good of the country and set this precedent for centuries.  

Lincoln: Saved the country. 

Teddy Roosevelt: Imagine the energy he'd bring to that party?  

Q: What's a classic novel you think everyone should read at least once?

RE: "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. 

Q: What do you love most about working for Fox News?

RE: The people. We really do have wonderful people here. They’re caring, interesting and funny. 

The snacks in the kitchen are also good. 

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To read all of Dana Perino's earlier "Short Questions" interviews for Fox News Digital, check out this (long) list!

For her interview with Gov. Chris Sununu, click here.

For her interview with Ross Rayburn, click here. 

For her interview with Mark Meredith, click here. 

For her interview with Emily Compagno, click here. 

For her interview with Chad Pergram, click here. 

For her interview with Mike Emanuel, click here. 

For her interview with Gillian Turner, click here. 

For her interview with Madison Alworth, click here. 

For her interview with Nate Foy, click here.

For her interview with Laura Ingraham, click here. 

For her interview with five New York FOX reporters, click here. 

For her interview with Katie Pavlich, click here.

For her interview with Guy Benson, click here. 

For her interview with Pete Hegseth, click here. 

For her interview with Sandra Smith, click here. 

For her interview with Nicolas Yannicelli, click here. 

For her interview with Abby Hornacek, click here. 

For her interview with Elise Bitter, click here. 

For her interview with Brian Kilmeade, click here.

For her interview with Kennedy, click here. 

For her interview with John Roberts, click here. 

For her interview with Janice Dean, click here. 

For her interview with Charles Payne, click here. 

For her interview with Trey Gowdy, click here. 

For her interview with Johnny "Joey" Jones, click here. 

For her interview with Bill Melugin, click here. 

For her interview with Jimmy Failla, click here. 

For her interview with Tyrus, click here. 

For her interview with Ainsley Earhardt, click here. 

For her interview with Lawrence Jones, click here. 

For her interview with Dr. Arash Akhavan, click here. 

For her interview with Martha MacCallum, click here. 

For her interview with Bret Baier, click here. 

For her interview with Kayleigh McEnany, click here.

For her interview with Harold Ford Jr., click here. 

For her interview with Shannon Bream, click here. 

For her interview with Jessica Tarlov, click here.

For her interview with Leo Terrell, click here.

For her interview with Geraldo Rivera, click here. 

For her interview with Clay Travis, click here.

For her interview with Bill Hemmer, click here. 

For her interview with Greg Gutfeld, click here. 

For her interview with Benjamin Hall, click here. 

For her interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, click here.

For her interview with Jesse Watters, click here. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.1eye.us/lifestyle.