Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr.
Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 November 1927 |
| Died | 1 October 2017 (aged 89) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, media heir |
| Known for | Control of Advance Publications, chairman of Condé Nast |
Samuel Irving "S.I." Newhouse Jr. (November 8, 1927 – October 1, 2017) was a prominent American businessman and heir who, alongside his brother Donald, held control over Advance Publications, the media conglomerate established by their father Samuel Newhouse Sr. in 1922. Advance Publications' assets encompass Condé Nast, known for publishing leading magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, a variety of U.S. newspapers such as The Star-Ledger, The Plain Dealer, and The Oregonian, the former cable operator Bright House Networks, as well as a majority interest in Discovery Communications.
Early life
Born to Mitzi (née Epstein) and Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., the founder of Advance Publications, S.I. Newhouse Jr. was raised in a family deeply rooted in the media industry. His father’s career began as editor of the Bayonne Times before acquiring the Staten Island Advance, which laid the groundwork for the creation of Advance Publications. Newhouse Jr. attended New York City's Horace Mann School and later matriculated at Syracuse University, though he left college early to join the family enterprise.
Career
Following his departure from Syracuse University, Newhouse gained experience working for the International News Service in Paris and completed two years of service in the U.S. Air Force. Subsequently, he took on management responsibilities for two of his father’s daily newspapers located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1964, he was appointed publisher of the American edition of Vogue, and by 1975, he had become chairman of Condé Nast. He expanded the company's portfolio by acquiring The New Yorker in 1985.
Prior to his passing, Newhouse’s net worth was estimated at $9.5 billion, placing him as the 46th wealthiest individual in the United States according to Forbes in 2014.
His philanthropic efforts included a $15 million donation to Syracuse University in 1962. Moreover, Newhouse was an avid art collector with an impressive collection featuring masterpieces such as Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, 1948. He was acknowledged by Art News among the top 200 art collectors worldwide.
Personal life and death
Newhouse identified as Jewish. In 1951, he married Jane Franke; the couple had three children together: Samuel I. Newhouse III, Wynn Newhouse (1954–2010), and Pamela Newhouse Mensch. Despite opposition from family members, they divorced in 1959. He remarried in 1973 to Victoria Carrington Benedict de Ramel.
In 2006, he established the Wynn Newhouse Awards aimed at supporting artists with disabilities through financial grants.
His grandson, Samuel I. Newhouse IV, featured in the documentary film Born Rich.
Newhouse passed away on October 1, 2017, at the age of 89.
Further reading
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- 1927 births
- 2017 deaths
- American art collectors
- American billionaires
- American mass media owners
- American newspaper publishers (people)
- American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
- American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent
- American philanthropists
- Philanthropists from New York (state)
- Condé Nast people
- Horace Mann School alumni
- Businesspeople from Manhattan
- Newhouse family
- 20th-century American businesspeople