Annenberg, Walter H.

Walter H. Annenberg, in full Walter Hubert Annenberg, (born March 13, 1908, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.—died October 1, 2002, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania), publisher, philanthropist, and art collector who served as U.S. ambassador to Britain from 1969 to 1974.

Annenberg was the only son of Moses L. Annenberg (1878–1942), a poor immigrant from East Prussia who became the millionaire publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and the horse-racing publications Daily Racing Form and Morning Telegraph. In 1939 Moses Annenberg was indicted for tax evasion and bribery. Walter was also indicted, but the charges against him were dropped. When his father died shortly after being paroled in 1942, Walter inherited the debt- and scandal-ridden Triangle Publications, Inc. He successfully took the company in new directions—founding the magazine Seventeen (1944), acquiring several television and radio stations, and developing TV Guide (1953), which became one of the most popular magazines in the United States. In 1988 Annenberg sold his interests in Triangle for a reported $3.2 billion.

Annenberg was also renowned for his collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and for his philanthropy. He donated millions to various museums, libraries, schools, and hospitals, and he established the Annenberg Foundation. In 1993 he announced a $500 million challenge grant to support education reform in American public schools and donated $365 million to a preparatory school and three universities; this gift included funding for the communication schools at the Universities of Pennsylvania and Southern California, both of which carry the Annenberg name. The Presidential Medal of Freedom (awarded by President Ronald Reagan in 1986) and the National Medal of Arts (awarded in 1993) are among the many honours he received.