Philip Merrill
Encyclopedia
Philip Merrill was an American
diplomat
, publisher, bank
er, and philanthropist
who committed suicide while traveling alone on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay
.
and Harvard Business School
. At Cornell, he was managing editor of The Cornell Daily Sun
and a member of the Quill and Dagger
society. He was president and CEO of Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc., which publishes Washingtonian
magazine, the Annapolis Capital
, and five other Maryland newspapers. His wife, Eleanor, succeeded him as chairman of the company; their daughter Catherine Merrill Williams is president and publisher of the Washingtonian.
Merrill served as counselor to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy from 1981 to 1983; as a member of the Defense Policy Board from 1983 to 1990; and as Assistant Secretary General for Defence Support at NATO Headquarters in Brussels
from 1990 to 1992 under President
George H. W. Bush
. He was appointed to head the Export-Import Bank of the United States
by George W. Bush
, serving from 2002 to 2005.
In 1988, he received the Medal for Distinguished Service from then Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger
.
In 2001, Merrill donated $10 million to the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park
, which now bears his name. He also donated $4 million in 2003 to create the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
(SAIS). Eliot A. Cohen
. is the director of the Merrill Center.
on June 10, 2006. He was initially believed to have been lost at sea, and his body was found on June 19. Merrill was found with a small anchor tied around one or both ankles and what investigators believe was a shotgun wound to the head, according to an anonymous source familiar with the investigation. His body was taken to the Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. Police said, "information from an outside source" indicated that Merrill had bought a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun within a week of his disappearance.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
, publisher, bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
er, and philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
who committed suicide while traveling alone on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
Career and philanthropy
Born Philip Merrill Levine, he was a graduate of Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
. At Cornell, he was managing editor of The Cornell Daily Sun
The Cornell Daily Sun
The Cornell Daily Sun is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University. It is the oldest independent college daily in the United States....
and a member of the Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent collegiate societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones of Yale University...
society. He was president and CEO of Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc., which publishes Washingtonian
Washingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
magazine, the Annapolis Capital
The Capital
The Capital is a daily newspaper published in Annapolis, Maryland. It serves the city as well as all of Anne Arundel County and neighboring Kent Island in Queen Anne's County. It is an evening newspaper during the week and offers morning delivery on the weekend. Philip Merrill was the publisher...
, and five other Maryland newspapers. His wife, Eleanor, succeeded him as chairman of the company; their daughter Catherine Merrill Williams is president and publisher of the Washingtonian.
Merrill served as counselor to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy from 1981 to 1983; as a member of the Defense Policy Board from 1983 to 1990; and as Assistant Secretary General for Defence Support at NATO Headquarters in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
from 1990 to 1992 under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
. He was appointed to head the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Export-Import Bank of the United States
The Export-Import Bank of the United States is the official export credit agency of the United States federal government. It was established in 1934 by an executive order, and made an independent agency in the Executive branch by Congress in 1945, for the purposes of financing and insuring...
by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, serving from 2002 to 2005.
In 1988, he received the Medal for Distinguished Service from then Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard "Cap" Weinberger , was an American politician, vice president and general counsel of Bechtel Corporation, and Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 21, 1981, until November 23, 1987, making him the third longest-serving defense secretary to date, after...
.
In 2001, Merrill donated $10 million to the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, which now bears his name. He also donated $4 million in 2003 to create the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
(SAIS). Eliot A. Cohen
Eliot A. Cohen
Eliot A. Cohen is the Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University. Cohen is the Director of the Strategic Studies Program at SAIS and has specialized in the Middle East, Persian Gulf, Iraq, arms...
. is the director of the Merrill Center.
Death
Merrill disappeared while sailing alone on the Chesapeake BayChesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
on June 10, 2006. He was initially believed to have been lost at sea, and his body was found on June 19. Merrill was found with a small anchor tied around one or both ankles and what investigators believe was a shotgun wound to the head, according to an anonymous source familiar with the investigation. His body was taken to the Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. Police said, "information from an outside source" indicated that Merrill had bought a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun within a week of his disappearance.
External links
- Medical examiner rules Merrill's death a suicide
- Merrill's biography at Right-Web
- Merrill's biography at UMCP
- Philip Merrill Memorial Service
- CNN story on Merrill's disappearance
- New York Times "Philip Merrill, 72, Publisher and Ex-Diplomat, Is Dead" June 14 2006
- Philip Merrill, 72; Philanthropist Made a Fortune From Media Holdings and Was a NATO Diplomat
- Philanthropy, Philip Merrill, RIP