Luce, Henry

Henry Luce, in full Henry Robinson Luce, (born April 3, 1898, Dengzhou, Shandong province, China—died February 28, 1967, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.), American magazine publisher who built a publishing empire on Time, Fortune, and Life magazines, becoming one of the most powerful figures in the history of American journalism. Luce’s publications, founded as a means of educating what he considered a poorly informed American public, had many imitators. Time, a “weekly newsmagazine,” sought to present news in narrative form. The magazine also stressed world events, an area that Luce believed was neglected in American newspapers and magazines. Presenting each story in a specific section or department, Time generally suggested what readers should think with regard to the subjects covered. Luce publications frequently utilized library research materials to make stories and articles more complete. Reporters and editors worked together on stories in what was called group journalism.

Luce was one of four children born to a Presbyterian missionary family, and his first decade was spent in China. At age 10 Luce was sent to a British boarding school at Yantai in North China. From there he went alone to England and then to the United States to attend preparatory school and Yale University. There he edited the school paper, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated in 1920, noted as “most brilliant” in his class.

At Yale Luce met Briton Hadden, with whom he launched Time magazine. The magazine attracted attention because of its lively layout, its stylistic eccentricities, mostly introduced by Hadden, and its emphasis on personalities. In four years Time was making a profit. In 1929, the year in which Hadden died, Luce brought out the business magazine Fortune, and in 1936 the photo magazine Life first appeared. Life immediately became one of the most popular magazines ever published. Luce held the title of editor in chief of all Time Inc. publications from 1929 until 1964, when he became editorial chairman.

Other Luce magazines included House & Home, established in 1952 and later sold to McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, Inc., and Sports Illustrated, a weekly sports magazine started in 1954. Luce launched the radio series The March of Time in 1931 and movie theatre newsreels of the same name in 1935.

Luce married the American playwright Clare Boothe in 1935. Both were forceful and articulate, and each had a major influence on the Republican Party and on national politics.