Henry Luce
The publisher who created the American Century
Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967) was an American magazine publisher who founded Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated. He was known as one of 'the most influential [Americans] of his day'. Born in Tengchow, Shandong, China, to Presbyterian missionary parents, Luce moved to the United States at age fifteen. He attended the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut on a scholarship subsidized by a Chicago heiress who favored missionaries' sons. There he overcame a stutter, excelled in languages (already knowing Chinese, he studied Greek, Latin, French, and German), and edited the school's literary monthly. He also met his future business partner, Briton Hadden, becoming his best friend. Luce then matriculated at Yale University, where he was the top freshman academically. He and Hadden were among only four freshmen chosen for the Yale Daily News staff. During World War I, Luce joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and attended classes in uniform. He and Hadden became the paper's outstanding journalists; Hadden narrowly won the chairmanship vote, while Luce became managing editor. Both were later tapped into the Skull and Bones secret society. After failing to win a Rhodes Scholarship, Luce paid his own way to the University of Oxford, spending a year traveling Europe before returning to a junior reporter job in Chicago. In 1922, at age twenty-three, Luce and Hadden quit their jobs to launch Time Inc. Luce remained editor-in-chief of all his publications until 1964. His magazines transformed journalism: Time summarized and interpreted weekly news; Life dominated American visual perceptions before television; Fortune covered business; and Sports Illustrated explored sports. Counting his radio and newsreel projects, Luce created the first multimedia corporation. In 1941, he declared the 20th century the "American Century," envisioning the United States as a global power. He was an influential Republican, supported the anti-communist China Lobby backing Chiang Kai-shek, and championed South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem. Luce also donated to anti-communist causes and served on Cold War advisory panels.
- field
- Magazine publishing, journalism
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Founding Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated; coining 'American Century'
Lore & Background
Born in Tengchow, Shandong, China, to Presbyterian missionary parents, Henry Luce moved to the United States at age 15. He attended the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, where he worked to overcome a stutter and, as a scholarship student, felt isolated from wealthier classmates. Subsidized by an elderly Chicago heiress who favored missionaries’ sons, he excelled academically, particularly in languages, and edited the school’s literary monthly. There he met Briton Hadden, who became his closest friend. At Yale University, Luce was the top freshman academically and, with Hadden, was one of only four freshmen chosen for the Yale Daily News. He joined a minor fraternity and devoted all spare hours to newspaper work. When the two competed for chairmanship of the News, Hadden won by one vote; Luce became managing editor. Both were later tapped into the Skull and Bones secret society. After failing to win a Rhodes Scholarship, Luce paid his way to Oxford University and spent a year traveling Europe, observing the post-World War I landscape. He returned to work as a junior reporter in Chicago. In 1922, at age 23, Luce and Hadden quit their jobs and, with two Yale classmates, founded Time Inc. Luce remained editor-in-chief of all his publications until 1964. His magazines included Time, which summarized and interpreted the week’s news; Life, a picture magazine of politics, culture, and society that dominated American visual perceptions before television; Fortune, covering national and international business; and Sports Illustrated. He also created the first multimedia corporation, incorporating radio projects and newsreels. A prominent Republican, Luce supported anti-communist causes and was instrumental in the China Lobby, steering American policy in favor of Chiang Kai-shek. In 1941, he authored a Life editorial declaring the 20th century the “American Century,” arguing the United States should become the powerhouse of Western civilization.
Reader's Guide
Luce was born in Tengchow, Shandong, China, on April 3, 1898. At 15, he was sent to the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, where he met Briton Hadden. He later attended Yale University, where he and Hadden worked on the Yale Daily News. In 1922, Luce and Hadden, both age 23, quit their jobs and partnered with Robert Livingston Johnson and another Yale classmate to form Time Inc. Luce remained editor-in-chief of all his publications until 1964. He was an influential figure in the Republican Party and supported various anti-communist causes. He died of a coronary occlusion on February 28, 1967 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Did You Know?
- Luce and Briton Hadden co-founded Time Inc. in 1922 when both were 23 years old.
- Both Henry and Clare Boothe Luce had positive experiences in guided LSD sessions well before there were legal restrictions on the drug.
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