Steve Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes Jr. (/fɔːrbz/; born July 18, 1947)[1] is an American publishing executive and politician who is the editor-in-chief of Forbes, a business magazine. He is the son of longtime Forbes publisher Malcolm Forbes and the grandson of that publication's founder B.C. Forbes. He is an adviser at the Forbes School of Business & Technology.[2] Forbes was a candidate in the 1996[3] and 2000 Republican presidential primaries.
For other people with the same name, see Stephen Forbes.
Steve Forbes
Early life and education[edit]
Forbes was born in Morristown, New Jersey, to Roberta Remsen (née Laidlaw) and Malcolm Forbes.[4][5] Forbes grew up in Far Hills, New Jersey. He attended the Far Hills Country Day School with his longtime friend and future Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman. He graduated cum laude from Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts, in 1966.
Forbes graduated with an A.B. in history from Princeton University in 1970 after completing a 75-page long senior thesis titled "Contest for the 1892 Democratic Presidential Nomination."[6][7] While at Princeton, Forbes founded his first magazine, Business Today, with two other students. Business Today is currently the largest student-run magazine in the world.[8] Forbes is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi and Tau Kappa Epsilon.[9] He holds honorary degrees from several universities, including New York Institute of Technology and Lehigh University.[10]
Political career and views[edit]
Early political career[edit]
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan appointed Forbes as head of the Board of International Broadcasting (BIB), which historically managed the operation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Reagan's successor, George H. W. Bush reappointed Forbes to the position. Forbes would continue to serve as the BIB's leader until 1993, following the inauguration of Bill Clinton.[11]
Following his career as the BIB's head, Forbes went on to get involved in various conservative political advocacy groups. From 1993 to 1996, Forbes was the chairman of the Board of Directors of "Empower America", which later merged with the advocacy group FreedomWorks.[11] Through "Empower America", Forbes became associates with prominent conservative politician Jack Kemp, who would go on to endorse Forbes during the 1996 Republican Party presidential primaries.[12] From 1996 to 1999, Forbes also served as honorary chairman of the advocacy group "Americans for Hope, Growth and Opportunity", described as "a grassroots, issues-advocacy organization founded to advance pro-growth, pro-freedom and pro-family issues."[11]
Forbes helped craft Christine Todd Whitman's[13] plan for a 30% cut in New Jersey's income tax over three years, and this plan proved to be a major factor in her victory over incumbent Governor James Florio.[14][15] Despite Forbes and Whitman being childhood friends, Forbes would later distance himself from Whitman during his bid for the Republican nomination in 2000 owing to Whitman's pro-choice stance on abortion.[16]
Personal life[edit]
In 1971, he married Sabina Beekman. They have five daughters, including Moira Forbes.[35] Forbes appeared alongside his family on Larry King Live during his 1996 presidential campaign.[36] Forbes has been a resident of Bedminster, New Jersey.[37]
Forbes rides Amtrak trains and was a passenger on board the 2016 Chester, Pennsylvania, train derailment.[38][39]