Edward Kramer Thompson (January 15, 1907 – October 8, 1996) was an American writer and editor. He was the editor of ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' from its early days as a weekly and was the founding editor of ''
Smithsonian'' magazine.
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Biography
Thompson was born in 1907 in St. Thomas, North Dakota, to Edward T. Thompson, a dry goods business proprietor and local banker. After finishing high school at 15, he went with his mother to Grand Forks, North Dakota, at the age of 16 to begin his studies at the University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...
.
His first wife was Marguerite Maxam, from Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
, whom he married in 1928. The first of his two sons, Edward T. Thompson would become the editor of ''Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...
''. He would move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, with his family in 1929 to work for the ''Milwaukee Journal
The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...
'' where he would remain until 1937.
''Life''
While at the ''Milwaukee Journal'' he also worked as a stringer
Stringer may refer to:
Structural elements
* Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened
* Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal
* Stringer (stairs), ...
for ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' which brought him to the attention of Henry Luce who was thinking about introducing a national picture magazine, which would become ''Life''. Luce hired Thompson in 1937 as assistant picture editor for this new venture. From 1949–1961 he was the managing editor. During this time he came to know Lee Eitingon, who would become his second wife in 1963. Thompson was known for the free rein he gave his editors, particularly a "trio of formidable and colorful women: Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland (born October 31, 1941) is an American film, television and stage actress and producer. A former member of Andy Warhol's The Factory and an active member in 1960s New York avant-garde theater, she has appeared in more than 250 fi ...
, fashion editor; Mary Letherbee, movie editor; and Mary Hamman
Mary Hamman (August 2, 1907 – November 18, 1984) was an American writer and editor. She was an editor for ''Pictorial Review'', ''Good Housekeeping'', '' Mademoiselle'', as well as the modern living editor for ''LIFE'' and editor-in-chief f ...
, modern living editor."[Hamblin, Dora Jane: "That Was The Life", page 161. W.W. Norton & Company, 1977.] He retired from ''Life'' as editor in chief, in 1970.
''Smithsonian''
Next he "invented", to use his word, ''Smithsonian'' magazine. "To those all-out converts to computerized journalism who declaim that 'print is dead,' I say, 'Not so fast. are his opening words of his book: ''A Love Affair with Life & Smithsonian'' published by the University of Missouri Press
The University of Missouri Press is a university press operated by the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri and London, England; it was founded in 1958 primarily through the efforts of English professor William Peden. Many publications a ...
in October 1995. His other 'invention' was the magazine ''Impact'' which he created for the Army Air Forces during his time out during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
; ''Life'', he would say, was Henry Luce's invention.
Death
He died on October 8, 1996.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Edward K
1907 births
1996 deaths
American magazine founders
American magazine publishers (people)
People from Pembina County, North Dakota
Writers from North Dakota
University of North Dakota alumni
Life (magazine) people
20th-century American writers
20th-century American businesspeople
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
20th-century American male writers