Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor

Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (October 28, 1875 – February 4, 1966), the father of photojournalism, was the first full-time editor of "National Geographic Magazine," serving from 1899 to 1954. Grosvenor is credited with having built the magazine into the iconic publication that it is today. As president of the National Geographic Society, he made it into one of the world's largest and best known science and learning organizations, aided by the bold chronicling in its magazine of ambitious natural and cultural explorations around the globe. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Dr. Gilbert H. Grosvenor Dies. Head of National Geographic, 90. Editor of Magazine 55 Years Introduced Photos, Increased Circulation to 4.5 Million. |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10E1FFE3A5D127588DDAC0894DA405B868AF1D3 |quote=Baddeck, N.S., Feb. 4, 1964 (Canadian Press) Dr. Gilbert H. Grosvenor, chairman of the board and former president of the National Geographic Society and editor of the National Geographic magazine from 1899 to 1954, died on the Cape Breton Island estate once owned by his father-in-law, the inventor Alexander Graham Bell. He was 90 years old. |publisher=New York Times |date=February 5, 1966, Saturday |accessdate=2007-07-21 ]

Biography

Grosvenor was born in Istanbul, Turkey (Constantinople), and educated at Worcester Academy and at Robert College. [cite news
url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,855428,00.html
title = Where East Meets West.
date = 24 April, 2007
publisher =Time (magazine)
quote = Robert College stands at the Bosporus narrows, where Europe and Asia are only 800 yards apart. Its 19th Century buildings overshadow a 15th Century Turkish fort. Engineers trained at Robert have built modern Turkey's factories, railroads and sewage systems. Basketball, softball, other U.S. sports have spread through Turkey from the college. Robert's noted students: Bulgaria's first education minister; a confidential secretary of the late President of Turkey, Ismet Inönü; Editor Gilbert Grosvenor of the National Geographic (his father taught there).] He attended Amherst College and graduated with the AB degree magna cum laude in 1897. Grosvenor was the President of the National Geographic Society (1920–1954). Grosvenor was married to Elsie May Bell (1878–1964), the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell.
* Father of National Geographic president Melville Bell Grosvenor.
* Grandfather of National Geographic president Gilbert Melville Grosvenor.
* [http://www.cosmos-club.org/web/journals/1998/wentzel.html True father of photojournalism]

Legacy

Grosvenor Arch, a sandstone double arch located in southern Utah, is named after Gilbert Grosvenor.

Family relations

* Grosvenor was cousin to U.S. President and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Howard Taft. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/mss/eadxmlmss/eadpdfmss/2005/ms005006.pdf]

* A plant Lo han kuo found in China is named after him - MOMORDICA GROSVENORI.http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/articles/momordica%20swingle.html

Further reading

* Poole, Robert M. "Explorers House: National Geographic and the World it Made". New York: Penguin, 2004. {ISBN|1594200327}

References

He also wrote "The Book of Birds"