Walter Hubert Annenberg (1908–2002) was an American publisher, philanthropist, and art collector. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Britain 1969–74 under President Richard Nixon.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the only son (with seven sisters) of Moses L. Annenberg, the millionaire publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications as part of the Triangle Publications group. Moses was sentenced to a three-year prison term for tax evasion and bribery. When he died in 1942, he left it behind debt- and scandal-ridden.
Walter Annenberg took the company in new directions, turning it into a publishing empire. He introduced the youth-oriented magazine Seventeen in 1944, sparking a new trend in targeted publications to America’s youth, acquired several television and radio stations, and developed TV Guide (1953,) which became one of the most popular magazines in the United States. Annenberg sold his interests in Triangle to Rupert Murdoch for a reported $3.2 billion in 1988.
Annenberg was also renowned for his collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, which he donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Annenberg donated millions to various museums, libraries, schools, and hospitals. The University of Pennsylvania and Southern California communication schools carry the Annenberg name.
Biographies include John Cooney’s The Annenbergs: The Salvaging of a Tainted Dynasty (1982) and Christopher Ogden’s Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg (1999,)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Walter H. Annenberg
When we hold back out of laziness, that is when we tie ourselves into knots of boredom.
—Walter H. Annenberg
Topics: Boredom
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Leave a Reply