Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (October 28, 1875 – February 4, 1966), the father of photojournalism, was the first full-time editor
of National Geographic Magazine, serving from 1899 to 1954. Grosvenor is credited with having built the magazine into the iconic publication that it is today. As president of the National Geographic Society
, he made it into one of the world's largest and best known science and learning organizations, aided by the bold chronicling in its magazine of ambitious natural and cultural explorations around the globe.
, Turkey
(Constantinople
), and educated at Worcester Academy
and at Robert College
. He attended Amherst College
and graduated with the AB degree magna cum laude in 1897. Grosvenor became the President of the National Geographic Society (1920–1954). Grosvenor married Elsie May Bell (1878–1964), the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell
.
Grosvenor's policy of complete neutrality and positive, upbeat journalism was maintained through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the beginning of the Cold War. However, this style (which had been innovative in the opening years of the 20th century) was quite dated and ossified by the 1950s. Grosvenor and his staff (most of them close to his age) had become conservative, complacent, and unwilling to modernize, and Geographic subscription fell as a result. After 50 years at the helm, he stepped down in 1954 at the age of 78.
Grosvenor's health deteriorated following the death of his wife and he died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 90 on February 4, 1966.
He was also:
in Rock Creek Cemetery
alongside his wife and members of the Bell family.
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of National Geographic Magazine, serving from 1899 to 1954. Grosvenor is credited with having built the magazine into the iconic publication that it is today. As president of the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, he made it into one of the world's largest and best known science and learning organizations, aided by the bold chronicling in its magazine of ambitious natural and cultural explorations around the globe.
Biography
Grosvenor was born to Edwin A. and Lilian Waters Grosvenor in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
), and educated at Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
and at Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
. He attended Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
and graduated with the AB degree magna cum laude in 1897. Grosvenor became the President of the National Geographic Society (1920–1954). Grosvenor married Elsie May Bell (1878–1964), the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
.
Grosvenor's policy of complete neutrality and positive, upbeat journalism was maintained through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the beginning of the Cold War. However, this style (which had been innovative in the opening years of the 20th century) was quite dated and ossified by the 1950s. Grosvenor and his staff (most of them close to his age) had become conservative, complacent, and unwilling to modernize, and Geographic subscription fell as a result. After 50 years at the helm, he stepped down in 1954 at the age of 78.
Grosvenor's health deteriorated following the death of his wife and he died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 90 on February 4, 1966.
He was also:
- Father of National Geographic president Melville Bell GrosvenorMelville Bell GrosvenorMelville Bell Grosvenor was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of National Geographic Magazine from 1957 to 1969...
(1901–1982). - Grandfather of National Geographic president Gilbert Melville GrosvenorGilbert Melville GrosvenorGilbert Melville Grosvenor, born on May 5, 1931, is past president and chief executive of the National Geographic Society, as well as a former editor of National Geographic Magazine....
. - True father of photojournalism
Legacy
Grosvenor is buriedHubbard Bell Grossman Pillot Memorial
Hubbard Bell Grossman Pillot Memorial is a public artwork by Lee Lawrie, located at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C., United States. "Hubbard Bell Grossman Pillot Memorial" was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture survey in...
in Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery — also Rock Creek Church Yard and Cemetery — is an cemetery with a natural rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C.'s Michigan Park neighborhood, near Washington's Petworth neighborhood...
alongside his wife and members of the Bell family.
- Grosvenor ArchGrosvenor ArchGrosvenor Arch is a unique sandstone double arch located within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. It is named to honor Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor , a president of the National Geographic Society, publishers of the National Geographic Magazine.Located in northern Kane...
, a sandstoneSandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
double archNatural archA natural arch or natural bridge is a natural geological formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until...
located in southern UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, is named after Gilbert Grosvenor.
Family relations
- Grosvenor was cousin to U.S. President and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/mss/eadxmlmss/eadpdfmss/2005/ms005006.pdf
- Katherine Grosvenor Parr. Great Niece. http://www.facebook.com/katie.parrty
Further reading
- Poole, Robert M. Explorers House: National Geographic and the World it Made. New York: Penguin, 2004. ISBN 1594200327