Roy Edward Larsen (April 20, 1899 ? September 9, 1979) was an American publishing executive who worked for Time Inc. for 56 years. ^[1] Following founders Henry Luce and Briton Hadden , Larsen was credited with being responsible for the company's growth and success. ^[2] At the time of his death he was described as being "one of the most influential figures in the golden age of the company's empire." ^[1]

Early life [ edit ]

Larsen was born in Boston , Massachusetts, the son of Robert Larsen and Stella Belyea Larsen. He attended Boston Latin School , graduating in 1917, and entered Harvard College , graduating in 1921. While in college he served as treasurer and business manager of The Harvard Advocate , where he brought the newspaper back to profitability by increasing circulation. ^[1]

Career [ edit ]

Larsen directed sales from the inception of Time magazine , and he is credited with recruiting the first 12,000 subscribers via a direct mail campaign in 1923. He continued to increase sales and circulation over the next 30 years. When Hadden died in 1929, Larsen was appointed as Time ' s business manager by Luce. In 1939 Larsen succeeded Luce as president of Time , serving in this position until his retirement in April 1979. ^[1]

Larsen helped to organize and develop The March of Time , an Academy Award winning radio and news film series which was produced from 1935 to 1951. He also served as publisher of Life magazine from 1936 to 1946. ^[1] A fitness buff, Larsen developed an idea for a sports magazine in 1954, which later turned into Sports Illustrated . ^[2]

A conservationist, Larsen organized the Nantucket Conservation Fund in 1965, and was elected to the board of the Nature Conservancy in 1973. ^[2] As a tribute to Larsen, Time Inc. gave the conservancy a 2,000-acre tract in East Texas now known as the Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary. ^{[2] [3]}

Larsen died in 1979, and the following year was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame . ^[4]

Personal life [ edit ]

Larsen married Margaret Zerbe in 1927. They had four children; a daughter, Anne (Simonson) and three sons: Robert, Christopher and Jonathan , the latter becoming editor-in-chief of The Village Voice .

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• Media related to Roy Edward Larsen at Wikimedia Commons