Walter Annenberg

He was the only son of Sadie Cecelia ( Friedman; 1879–1965) and Moses Annenberg, who published the Daily Racing Form and purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1936.

Annenberg was a stutterer since childhood.

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).

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.

Walter Annenberg was born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 13, 1908.

The Annenberg family moved to Long Island, New York, in 1920.

Walter attended Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, where he graduated in 1927.

He was admitted to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, but dropped out without attaining a degree.

While in college, he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau, a traditionally Jewish fraternity.

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.

After his father's death in 1942, Annenberg took over the family businesses, making successes out of some that had been failing.

He bought additional print media as well as radio and television stations, resulting in great success.

One of his publications, The Philadelphia Inquirer, was influential in ridding Philadelphia of its largely corrupt city government in 1949.

It campaigned for the Marshall Plan following World War II and attacked McCarthyism in the 1950s.

One of his most prominent successes was the creation of TV Guide in 1952, which he started against the advice of his financial advisors.

He also created Seventeen magazine.

In 1953 he became one of the founding trustees of Eisenhower Fellowships.

After Richard M. Nixon was elected president, he appointed Annenberg as ambassador to the Court of St James's in the UK.

In 1966, Annenberg used the Inquirer to cast doubt on the candidacy of Democrat Milton Shapp for governor of Pennsylvania.

Shapp was highly critical of the proposed merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad with the New York Central Railroad and was pushing the US Interstate Commerce Commission to prevent it from occurring.

Annenberg, who was the biggest individual stockholder of the Pennsylvania Railroad, wanted to see the merger succeed (which it did) and he was frustrated with Shapp's opposition.

During a press conference, an Inquirer reporter asked Shapp if he had ever been a patient in a mental hospital.

Never having been in one, Shapp simply said "no."

The next day, a five-column front page Inquirer headline read, "Shapp Denies Mental Institution Stay".

Shapp and others have attributed his loss of the election to Annenberg's newspaper.

He was appointed by President Richard Nixon as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, where he served from 1969 to 1974.

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.

At a time when Annenberg was seeking appointment as U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, a TV Guide "special editorial" of April 14, 1969, suddenly reversed what had been the publication's support of the Smothers Brothers in the duo's content fight with their network, CBS.

The editorial, "Smothers Out: A Wise Decision," praised the network cancellation of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, rhetorically asking "Where does satire end -- and sacrilege begin?"

Annenberg received the ambassadorship from President Richard Nixon, who at the time was a frequent target of Smothers Brothers on-air barbs and was pressing for more control over television network content.

Even while an active businessman, Annenberg had an interest in public service.

During the 1970s, TV Guide was making profits in The Range of $600,000 to $1,000,000 per week.

While Annenberg ran his publishing empire as a business, he was not afraid to use it for his political purposes.

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 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.