Marian Sulzberger Heiskell (born Marian Effie Sulzberger; December 31, 1918March 14, 2019) was an American newspaper executive, philanthropist and former owner of the

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 d ...

Early life

She was born Marian Effie Sulzberger on December 31, 1918 in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

to parents

Arthur Hays Sulzberger Arthur Hays Sulzberger (September 12, 1891December 11, 1968) was the publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1935 to 1961. During that time, daily circulation rose from 465,000 to 713,000 and Sunday circulation from 745,000 to 1.4 million; the st ...

and Iphigene Sulzberger (née Ochs). She was the sister of

Ruth Sulzberger Holmberg Ruth Sulzberger Holmberg (born Ruth Rachel Sulzberger; March 12, 1921 – April 20, 2017) was a newspaper publisher and member of the Ochs (surname), Ochs-:Sulzberger family, Sulzberger family. Biography Sulzberger was born to a American Jews, Je ...

, Judith Sulzberger and Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger. Her first marriage was to

Orvil E. Dryfoos Orvil Eugene Dryfoos (November 8, 1912 – May 25, 1963) was the publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1961 to his death. He entered ''The Times'' family via his marriage to Marian Sulzberger, daughter of then-publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger ...

in 1941. They had three children. She later married

Andrew Heiskell Andrew Heiskell (September 13, 1915 – July 6, 2003) was chairman and CEO of Time Inc. (1960–1980), and also known for his philanthropy, for organizations including the New York Public Library.Institute of International Education, 7 May 2003 ...

, who was at the time the chairman of

Time Inc. Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...

, in 1965.

Career

Heiskell was known for her work in publishing, conservation and philanthropy. As a member of the Sulzberger family that controls the New York Times, she became a director of the Times in 1963, holding the position for 34 years. Outside of the New York Times, she was also credited for having originated the concept for

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

. In the area of conservation, she founded the Council on the Environment of New York City, now known as Grow NYC, in 1970. Heiskell was a chairwoman of the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy. From 1990 to 2012, she was the chairwoman of

New 42nd Street The New 42nd Street is a not-for-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York City. In 1990, the New 42nd Street was formed to oversee the redevelopment of seven neglected and historic theatres on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Aven ...

, a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing New York's 42nd Street

Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing several of a city's theatres. Places *Theater District, Manhattan, New York City *Boston Theater District *Buffalo Theater District *Cleveland Theater ...

. She was a board member of The

New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...

, New Yorkers for Parks, Audubon New York, and the Community Service Society of New York.

Awards

In 2004, Heiskel received the Thomas W. Keesee, Jr. Conservation Award, followed by the Rachel Carson Award in 2013, both given by the

Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

. In 2005 she received the Land Conservation award from the

Open Space Institute Open Space Institute (OSI) (not to be confused with the facilitator network of open conversation space) is a conservation organization that seeks to preserve scenic, natural and historic landscapes for public enjoyment, conserve habitats while s ...

. In 2018 she received the Federal Hall Medal for Leadership from the New York Harbor Parks Conservancy, an organization she had played a role in founding.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heiskell, Marian Sulzberger 1918 births 2019 deaths Sulzberger family American women philanthropists 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century philanthropists Philanthropists from New York (state) People from Manhattan American centenarians American people of German-Jewish descent Women centenarians 20th-century women philanthropists 21st-century women philanthropists