1898-1967
Editor and Magazine Publisher

Magazine Empire.

As the most powerful American media figure during most of the twentieth century, Henry R. Luce through his publishing empire dominated the magazine industry during the 1950s and wielded strong political influence. The cofounder (with friend and partner Briton Hadden) of Time, the first modern news magazine, Luce affected the way in which many Americans received their news. His other magazine ventures, including Fortune, Life, and Sports Illustrated, helped secure a media empire that in 1959 grossed more than $271 million.

Background.

Luce's parents were Presbyterian missionaries, and he was born in China, where he lived until the age of fourteen. He arrived in the United States at age fifteen, enrolling at the prestigious Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. He met Hadden at Hotchkiss, working with him at the school newspaper and creating a journalistic vision they would continue to develop...