Walter Annenberg
Walter Hubert Annenberg KSG (March 13, 1908 – October 1, 2002) was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and diplomat. Annenberg owned and operated Triangle Publications, which included ownership of The Philadelphia Inquirer, TV Guide, the Daily Racing Form and Seventeen magazine. He was appointed by President Richard Nixon as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, where he served from 1969 to 1974.
Walter Annenberg
October 1, 2002 (aged 94)
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, U.S.
-
Veronica Dunkelman(m. 1938; div. 1950)
2, including Wallis
- Moses Annenberg
- Sadie Freedman
- Janet Annenberg Hooker (sister)
- Enid Haupt (sister)
- Lauren Bon (granddaughter)
Businessman
Diplomat
Investor
Philanthropist
Officier of Legion of Honour.svg){kind=small}
Presidential Medal of Freedom (1986)_Ribbon.png){kind=small}
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1976)
Knight of Order of St. Gregory the Great
Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service (1988)
Linus Pauling Medal for Humanitarianism
During his tenure as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, he developed a close friendship with Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family. After initial perceived missteps, he came to be admired for his dedicated work ethic, his wife's lavish entertaining, and personal gifts to support patriotic British causes, such as the restoration of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. He also paid for the renovation of Winfield House, the American ambassador's residence.
In his later years, Annenberg became one of the most prominent philanthropists in the United States.[2] He established the Annenberg Foundation in 1988, and gave over $2 billion to educational establishments and art galleries, including both the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in Los Angeles. At Sunnylands, his 220-acre (89 ha) estate near Palm Springs, California, he entertained royalty, presidents and other celebrities; it is now a museum and retreat center dedicated to furthering the Annenbergs' legacies.
Early life and education[edit]
Walter Annenberg was born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 13, 1908. He was the only son of Sadie Cecelia (née Friedman; 1879–1965) and Moses Annenberg, who published the Daily Racing Form and purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1936.[3] Annenberg was a stutterer since childhood.[4][5][6][7][8]
He had seven sisters: Diana Annenberg (1900–1905), Esther Annenberg Simon Levee (1901–1992), Janet Annenberg Hooker (1904–1997), Enid Annenberg Bensinger Haupt (1906–2005), Lita Annenberg Hazen (1909–1995), Evelyn Annenberg Jaffe Hall (1911–2005), and Harriet Beatrice Annenberg Ames Aronson (1914–1969).
The Annenberg family moved to Long Island, New York, in 1920.[9] Walter attended Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, where he graduated in 1927.[9] He was admitted to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, but dropped out without attaining a degree.[10] While in college, he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau, a traditionally Jewish fraternity.[11]
Annenberg was greatly impacted by the tax evasion charges and other scandals involving his father in the 1930s. A significant part of his adult life was dedicated to rehabilitating the family's name through philanthropy and public service.
Personal life[edit]
In 1939, Annenberg married Bernice Veronica Dunkelman. Bernice was raised in a Jewish family in Canada, the daughter of Canadian businessman David Dunkelman who was known for mass-producing low-cost suits and selling them at a single price of $14 at his chain of 65 retail stores.[36] They divorced in 1950 after eleven years together. While married, Dunkelman and Annenberg had two children: a daughter, Wallis, and son, Roger. Roger died by suicide in 1962; to commemorate his death, Harvard University, where Roger was a student at the time, now has a Roger Annenberg Hall named in his honor.
In 1951, Annenberg married Leonore "Lee" Cohn. Lee was a niece of Harry Cohn, the founder and president of Columbia Pictures. Although of Jewish ethnicity, she was raised a Christian Scientist by her uncle's wife. Despite being born to Jewish families, the Annenbergs were not practitioners of Judaism; they regularly celebrated Easter and Christmas with family and friends.[37]
Death[edit]
Annenberg died at his home in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 2002, from complications of pneumonia; he was 94 years old.[38] He was survived by his wife, Leonore (February 20, 1918 – March 12, 2009); his daughter, Wallis; and two sisters, Enid A. Haupt and Evelyn Hall. Including those by his wife's daughters from her first two marriages (Diane Deshong and Elizabeth Kabler), he left seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.[38]