John R. MacArthur
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John Rick MacArthur (born June 4, 1956) is an American journalist and author of books about US politics. He is the president and publisher of '' Harper's Magazine''.


Biography

MacArthur is the son of J. Roderick MacArthur and French-born Christiane L’Étendart. and the grandson of billionaire
John D. MacArthur John Donald MacArthur (March 6, 1897 – January 6, 1978) was an American insurance magnate, real estate investor and philanthropist who established the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, benefactor in the MacArthur Fellowships. ...
. He grew up in Winnetka,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, graduating from
North Shore Country Day School North Shore Country Day School is a selective prep school in Winnetka, Illinois. It took its current form as a coeducational school in 1919 during the Country Day School movement, though it started as the Rugby School for Boys (1893-1900) and Gir ...
in 1974. He graduated from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
with a
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
in 1978. In 2017 he was named a chevalier in the French order of arts and letters. He lives with his wife and two daughters in New York City. He is well known for his sceptical stance of the internet, all things technological and insistence on print publishing.


Career

MacArthur writes a monthly column, in French, for ''
Le Devoir ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large-c ...
'' on a wide range of topics from politics to culture and is a regular contributor to the ''Spectator'' (U.K.), the ''Toronto Star'', ''Le Monde Diplomatique'' and ''Le Monde''. Though
John D. MacArthur John Donald MacArthur (March 6, 1897 – January 6, 1978) was an American insurance magnate, real estate investor and philanthropist who established the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, benefactor in the MacArthur Fellowships. ...
disinherited his son J. Roderick MacArthur, the latter served on the board of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation until his death in 1984. In 1980, John R. MacArthur persuaded the foundation to partner in creating and funding a Harper's Magazine Foundation to acquire and operate the magazine of the same name. This new entity acquired '' Harper's Magazine'' (which was then losing nearly $2 million per year and was on the verge of ceasing publication) for $250,000. He became president and publisher of '' Harper's Magazine'' in 1983. In 1993 he received the '' Baltimore Suns
H.L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...
Writing Award for best editorial/op-ed column for his ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' exposé of " Nayirah", the Kuwaiti diplomat's daughter who helped fake the Iraqi baby-incubator atrocity. MacArthur has been a reporter for ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' (1977), the ''
Washington Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the Washington ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday Sta ...
'' (1978), ''
The Bergen Record ''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and ...
'' (1978–1979), ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
'' (1979–1982), and an assistant foreign editor at
United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...
(1982). MacArthur serves on the board of The Author's Guild and the
Death Penalty Information Center The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on disseminating studies and reports related to the death penalty. Founded in 1990, DPIC is primarily focused on the application of ...
. He received the Philolexian Award for Distinguished Literary Achievement in 2009.


Bibliography

*
Graham Greene: The Last Interview and Other Conversations.
' Nonfiction. Published by Melville House. Editor and author of introduction. September 2019. * * ''The Selling of "Free Trade": Nafta, Washington, and the Subversion of American Democracy'' (
Hill and Wang Hill & Wang is an American book publishing company focused on American history, world history, and politics. It is a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Hill & Wang was founded as an independent publishing house in 1956 by Arthur Wang (1917/1 ...
, 2000). * * '' You Can't Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America'' (
Melville House Publishing Melville House Publishing is an American independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 and is run by the husband-and-wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey. T ...
, 2008). Reissued as ''The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America'' (
Melville House Publishing Melville House Publishing is an American independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 and is run by the husband-and-wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey. T ...
, 2012). Published in France as ''Une Caste américaine ''(Éditions des Arènes, 2008)''. * ''L'Illusion Obama''. Published in France (Éditions des Arènes, 2012) and in Canada (Lux Éditeur, 2012). *


References


External links


''Harper's Magazine''''Columbia College Today'' article
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macarthur, John R. 1956 births Living people American magazine publishers (people) American male journalists American newspaper reporters and correspondents American people of French descent American political writers Columbia College (New York) alumni Harper's Magazine people