Philip Merrill (April 28, 1934 – June 10, 2006) was an American
diplomat, publisher, banker, and philanthropist.
Career
Born Philip Merrill Levine, he was a graduate of
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teac ...
and
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
. At Cornell, he was managing editor of ''
The Cornell Daily Sun
''The Cornell Daily Sun'' is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees.
''The Sun'' features coverage of the university and its environs as well as stories from the Asso ...
'' and a member of the
Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key at Yale University. In 1929, '' The New York Times'' stat ...
society. He was president and CEO of Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc., which publishes ''
Washingtonian'' magazine, the Annapolis ''
Capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
'', and five other Maryland newspapers. His wife, Eleanor, succeeded him as chairman of the company which they sold after his death to Landmark Communications; their daughter
Catherine Merrill Williams
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Chris ...
took over as president and publisher of the ''Washingtonian''.
Merrill served as counselor to the
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy from 1981 to 1983; as a member of the
Defense Policy Board
The Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee, also referred to as the Defense Policy Board (DPBAC or DPB), is a federal advisory committee to the United States Department of Defense. Their charter is available online through the office of the Di ...
from 1983 to 1990 and again from 2001 to 2003; and as Assistant Secretary General for Defence Support at NATO Headquarters in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
from 1990 to 1992 under
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
George H. W. Bush. He was appointed to chairman of the
Export-Import Bank of the United States by
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, serving from 2002 to 2005. He represented the United States in negotiations on the Law of the Sea Conference, the International Telecommunication Union and various disarmament and exchange agreements with the former Soviet Union. For many years he chaired the White House Fellow Commissions regional panels. Merrill also served on President
George H. W. Bush's Gulf War Air Power Survey and President
Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's Commission on Cost Control in the Federal Government.
He served as a long time trustee of the Aspen Institute (and long time executive board member), the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Johns Hopkins University, and Cornell University. He was Chairman of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) and a U.S. Director of the
International Institute of Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England.
The 2017 Global Go To Think ...
(IISS). He also served on the Department of Defense Business Board, the University of Maryland Board of Visitors,
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., United States, with campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. It is consistently ranked one of th ...
(SAIS) board, the Smithsonian's
National Museum of American History board, the
Foundation for the National Archives The National Archives Foundation is an independent non-profit organization that works to increase public awareness of and showcase the United States National Archives and Records Administration.
Board of Directors
• Chair: Governor James J. Bla ...
, and the Advanced Physics Laboratories board.
In 1988, he received the
Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award
The Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award is the highest civilian award given by the United States Department of Defense. This award and accompanying Distinguished Civilian Service Medal is the department's highest award given ...
from the then
Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American statesman and businessman. As a prominent Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, including chairman of the Californ ...
, the highest civilian honor given by the
United States Department of Defense.
Philanthropy
Merrill donated $7 million to the
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is a non-profit organization devoted to the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay in the United States. It was founded in 1967 and has headquarters offices in Annapolis, Maryland. The foundation has ...
. The building, the Phillip Merrill Center, was awarded the first
LEED platinum
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a
green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...
certificate in the country.
In 2001, Merrill donated $10 million to the
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is a journalism school located at the University of Maryland, College Park. The college was founded in 1947 and was named after newspaper editor Philip Merrill in 2001. The school has about 550 undergr ...
at the
University of Maryland, College Park.
Merrill donated $4 million in 2003 to create the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., United States, with campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. It is consistently ranked one of t ...
(SAIS).
Eliot A. Cohen is the director of the Merrill Center.
Merrill donated the funds to build the Cornell Sailing Center at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teac ...
, which is named for the Merrill Family and was dedicated in 2009.
Merrill and his wife were benefactors of numerous institutions including the
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...
,
the Ford's Theater,
Shakespeare Theater,
the Meridian Center, the
Barker Adoption Foundation and
Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind.
The
American Council of Trustees and Alumni annually awards
The Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education.
Death
Merrill disappeared while sailing alone on the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / E ...
on June 10, 2006. He was initially believed to have been lost at sea, but his body was found on June 19. The medical examiner ruled Merrill's death a suicide.
Merrill was survived by his wife, Eleanor; three children, Douglas Merrill, Catherine Merrill Williams, and Nancy Merrill; and four grandsons.
Eleanor died ten years later on July 16, 2016 after sustaining injuries from a fall.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Philip
Cornell University alumni
Harvard Business School alumni
American newspaper publishers (people)
American bankers
Suicides by firearm in Maryland
Businesspeople from Baltimore
1934 births
2006 suicides
20th-century American businesspeople