Benjamin Sonnenberg
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Sonnenberg was a Russia
n-born American
press agent
who represented celebrities and major corporations, who was best known for the lavish entertaining he did for his clients and other notables at his Manhattan
townhouse located at 19 Gramercy Park South.
Sonnenberg was born in Brest-Litovsk
, Russia
, now part of Belarus
. He emigrated to the United States with his family in 1910. He briefly attended Columbia College and worked for a newspaper in Flint, Michigan
.
Returning to New York City, his first work in the public relations
field was writing stories for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
. He started his own business in 1924, where among his initial clients were Manhattan hotels for which he generated newspaper coverage of their notable guests. Sonnenberg had a knack for self-promotion, as a means to make himself seem more important to the public and to his existing and prospective clients. Early in his career, he would ride the subway most of the trip and then take a taxi to show up at theater openings. In restaurants, he would have the restaurant manager send a bus boy to wander around the tables announcing that there was a phone call for Sonnenberg.
A self-described "cabinetmaker who fashioned large pedestals for small statues", Sonnenberg represented such individuals as Samuel Goldwyn
, Robert Lehman
, William S. Paley
and David O. Selznick
. His corporate clients included CBS
, Lever Brothers
, Lipton Tea and Pan American World Airways
. While his company, Publicity Consultants Inc., was nominally located in offices on Park Avenue
, his real business was done in his five-story townhouse in the Gramercy Park
neighborhood of Manhattan, where he was renowned for his lavish entertaining for his clients and his contacts in the press. As his son would later describe in his memoir Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, "our home, my home, was a stage for his work".
Sonnenberg died in New York City at age 77 of a heart attack
on September 6, 1978. As dictated by his will, he directed that " my executors as soon as practicable after my death to destroy all data, files and correspondence", which would combine with the reticence of his friends to make it difficult to write about his exploits. His will also specified that the contents of his townhouse were auctioned off by Sotheby's
in June 1979. Crowds of 30,000 came to view items over a nine-day period, and the $4.7 million generated at auction were the third-highest in auction history at the time, behind Norton Simon
's $12.7 million and the $7.5 million for items from the estate of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge
. The top-selling lot in the sale was for a John Singer Sargent
portrait of Millicent Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, which sold for $210,000, setting a record for the artist's work. His son, Ben Sonnenberg
, sold the mansion and used much of the proceeds to create, Grand Street, a literary magazine that he edited and published from 1981 to 1990.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
press agent
Press agent
A press agent, or flack, is a professional publicist who acts on behalf of his or her client on all matters involving public relations. Press agents are typically employed by public personalities and organizations such as performers and businesses...
who represented celebrities and major corporations, who was best known for the lavish entertaining he did for his clients and other notables at his Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
townhouse located at 19 Gramercy Park South.
Sonnenberg was born in Brest-Litovsk
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, now part of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. He emigrated to the United States with his family in 1910. He briefly attended Columbia College and worked for a newspaper in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
.
Returning to New York City, his first work in the public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
field was writing stories for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
. He started his own business in 1924, where among his initial clients were Manhattan hotels for which he generated newspaper coverage of their notable guests. Sonnenberg had a knack for self-promotion, as a means to make himself seem more important to the public and to his existing and prospective clients. Early in his career, he would ride the subway most of the trip and then take a taxi to show up at theater openings. In restaurants, he would have the restaurant manager send a bus boy to wander around the tables announcing that there was a phone call for Sonnenberg.
A self-described "cabinetmaker who fashioned large pedestals for small statues", Sonnenberg represented such individuals as Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
, Robert Lehman
Robert Lehman
Robert Lehman was an American banker, head of Lehman Brothers for decades and a notable race-horse owner, and important art-collector and philanthropist.-Biography:...
, William S. Paley
William S. Paley
William S. Paley was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.-Early life:...
and David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
. His corporate clients included CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
, Lipton Tea and Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
. While his company, Publicity Consultants Inc., was nominally located in offices on Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, his real business was done in his five-story townhouse in the Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
neighborhood of Manhattan, where he was renowned for his lavish entertaining for his clients and his contacts in the press. As his son would later describe in his memoir Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, "our home, my home, was a stage for his work".
Sonnenberg died in New York City at age 77 of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on September 6, 1978. As dictated by his will, he directed that " my executors as soon as practicable after my death to destroy all data, files and correspondence", which would combine with the reticence of his friends to make it difficult to write about his exploits. His will also specified that the contents of his townhouse were auctioned off by Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in June 1979. Crowds of 30,000 came to view items over a nine-day period, and the $4.7 million generated at auction were the third-highest in auction history at the time, behind Norton Simon
Norton Simon
Norton Winfred Simon , in the United States was a millionaire industrialist and philanthropist based in California. A significant art collector, he is the namesake of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California.-Early life:...
's $12.7 million and the $7.5 million for items from the estate of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge
Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge
Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge was the youngest child of Almira Geraldine Goodsell and William Avery Rockefeller, Jr., the Standard Oil tycoon. Giralda Farms was the name given to her New Jersey country estate, stables, and kennels. Her residence was a revival of Medieval Spanish Gothic...
. The top-selling lot in the sale was for a John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
portrait of Millicent Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, which sold for $210,000, setting a record for the artist's work. His son, Ben Sonnenberg
Ben Sonnenberg
Benjamin "Ben" Sonnenberg, Jr. was an American publisher and the founder of the literary magazine Grand Street, which he began as a quarterly journal in 1981....
, sold the mansion and used much of the proceeds to create, Grand Street, a literary magazine that he edited and published from 1981 to 1990.
Sources
- Barmash, Isadore. Always Live Better Than Your Clients: The Fabulous Life and Times of Benjamin Sonnenberg, America's Greatest Publicist. Dodd, Mead and CompanyDodd, Mead and CompanyDodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990. Its history properly began in 1870, with the retirement of its founder, Moses Woodruff Dodd. Control passed to his son Frank...
. - Scott CutlipScott CutlipScott Munson Cutlip was a pioneer in public relations education....
(1994) The Unseen Power: Public Relations: A History ISBN 0-8058-1464-7 .