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Henry Luce

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Henry Luce was a famous American magazine publisher. He helped build a huge media company called Time Inc.

THU Luce Memorial Chapel
THU Luce Memorial Chapel

This company made very popular magazines. These included Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated. He also combined print with radio and newsreels. This was one of the first ways to use many types of media at once. Luce believed in a concept he called the "American Century." He thought the United States should be a global leader in the world.

Luce had a very busy life that started in China. He was born in Tengchow on April 3, 1898. His father was a Presbyterian missionary.

THU Luce Memorial Chapel
THU Luce Memorial Chapel

When he was 15, he moved to the United States. He went to the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut to study. He worked hard to overcome a stutter. He was a top student who knew many languages. He studied Greek, Latin, French, and German. He already knew how to speak Chinese as well.

His career began with a very close friend. At Yale University, Luce met a man named Briton Hadden. They both worked for the Yale Daily News.

THU Luce Memorial Chapel
THU Luce Memorial Chapel

In 1918, they were the two best journalists at the school. They spent many hours planning their future together. In 1922, they both quit their jobs to start something new. They teamed up with Robert Livingston Johnson and another classmate. This group formed the company Time Inc. at the age of 23.

Luce was a very powerful figure in politics too. He used his magazines to share his views on the world. In 1941, he wrote about the American Century in Life magazine. He supported many groups that fought against communism.

THU Luce Memorial Chapel
THU Luce Memorial Chapel

He helped the "China Lobby" support leaders like Chiang Kai-shek. He also founded the United China Appeal in 1941. He was a member of the American Security Council. He even helped a group called the National Committee for a Free Europe.

Luce had a complicated personal life. He married his first wife, Lila Hotz, in 1923. They had two sons named Peter Paul and Henry Luce III. He married his second wife, Clare Boothe Luce, in 1935. He raised her daughter, Ann Clare Brokaw, as his own.

THU Luce Memorial Chapel
THU Luce Memorial Chapel

Sadly, Ann died in a car accident when she was 19. Luce died in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 28, 1967. He was 68 years old. He left much of his wealth to the Henry Luce Foundation.

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