Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor

Lore & Background

He was a second cousin to U.S. President and Supreme Court Justice William Howard Taft. At Amherst, he and his twin brother Edwin were a top tennis doubles team. He advocated neutral, positive journalism through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the early Cold War. By the 1950s, his style was criticized as ossified, and the magazine's subscription base fell. He stepped down at age 78. Overwhelmed by the experience, he became a friend of Mather and the national parks. He provided funding to buy Giant Forest for Sequoia National Park. He and Horace Albright ensured every member of Congress received a copy, and legislation establishing the National Park Service passed that year.

Reader's Guide

Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor's significance lies in his dual role as editor of National Geographic and president of the National Geographic Society for over five decades, during which he consolidated the magazine and expanded the Society's reach. His policy of upbeat, neutral journalism defined the magazine's tone through major global conflicts. Beyond publishing, Grosvenor played a key role in the creation of the U.S. National Park Service, using his editorial platform to sway Congress. His personal funding helped expand Sequoia National Park, and he later worked to protect the Katmai region from mining. His legacy includes a family dynasty at National Geographic: his son Melville Bell Grosvenor and grandson Gilbert Melville Grosvenor both served as Society presidents. Grosvenor's name is memorialized in Grosvenor Arch in Utah, Grosvenor Lodge in Katmai National Park, and the plant Siraitia grosvenorii (monkfruit). His tenure, while innovative early on, eventually drew criticism for being outdated, leading to a decline in subscriptions before his retirement.

Did You Know?

• Grosvenor was a second cousin to U.S. President and Supreme Court Justice William Howard Taft.
• His grandson Walter Kendall Myers was convicted of spying for Cuba and sentenced to life in prison.