Gilbert Melville Grosvenor (born May 5, 1931) is the former president and chairman of the National Geographic Society, who previously served as the editor of ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' magazine.Lanken, Dane. "The bee in Grosvenor's bonnet", ''Canadian Geographic'', Vol. 116.6, November–December 1996: pp. 95-96. Now largely retired, Grosvenor and his wife Wiley live in Virginia.

Biography

Born in Washington, D.C., Grosvenor is the son of

Melville Bell Grosvenor Melville Bell Grosvenor (November 26, 1901 – April 22, 1982) was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of '' The National Geographic Magazine'' from 1957 to 1967. He was the grandson of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Be ...

and the great-grandson of

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

. He received a B.A. in psychology from Yale University in 1954. Between his junior and senior years, he volunteered in the Netherlands in efforts to recover from the

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...

and co-authored an article that was published in the National Geographic. "Although I'm not sure I realized it at the time, it changed my life," Grosvenor recently recalled. "I discovered the power of journalism. And that's what we are all about—recording those chronicles of planet Earth." He subsequently joined the staff of the magazine as a picture editor. In 1970, Grosvenor assumed the position of editor of ''National Geographic Magazine''. He served as editor until 1980, when he became president of the National Geographic Society, additionally becoming chairman of the board of trustees (on which he served from 1966 to 2014) in 1987. He retired as president in 1996 and chairman in 2011, since which time he has served as an honorary director of The Explorers Club. In 1996, Grosvenor was awarded a Gold Medal by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the

Scottish Geographical Medal The Scottish Geographical Medal is the highest accolade of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, awarded for conspicuous merit and a performance of world-wide repute. This was awarded first in 1890 as the Gold Medal, and from 1933 as the Scotti ...

by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. In 1996, Grosvenor received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member

Sylvia Earle Sylvia Alice Earle ( née Reade; born August 30, 1935) is an American marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scien ...

. Grosvenor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President George W. Bush on June 23, 2004.

Writings

*"The Water Crisis,"

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

*"Bali of the Back Roads," National Geographic Magazine, November, 1969.

References

External links

Genealogy: ''Descendants of John Grosvenor''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grosvenor, Gilbert Melville 1931 births Living people National Geographic Society Alexander Graham Bell Gardiner family Yale College alumni Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients