Stephen Grant Smith (born March 6, 1949) is an American writer and editor. He was a senior editor at Atlantic Media and held senior-level editing positions at '' Newsweek'', '' Time'', and '' U.S. News & World Report''.

Early life

Smith grew up in New York City. He is the son of Nora (O'Leary), a fashion editor of '' Family Circle'', and John J. Smith, a partner at an investment bank. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1967. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a B.A. in history in 1971. While there, he was a member of literary fraternity

St. Anthony Hall St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on , the Calendar of saints, feast day of Anthony the Great, Saint Anthony the Great. The frater ...

Career

Smith began his career as a reporter for the '' Daily Hampshire Gazette'' and the ''Albany'' ''Times Union''. He was an editor at '' The Philadelphia Inquirer'' and '' The Boston Globe'', where he won the Ernie Pyle Award in 1977 for human interest storytelling. In 1978, he moved to New York to become a senior editor at ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...

''. He went on to '' Time'' magazine, where he began as press writer in November 1978, rising to senior editor in 1981 and ultimately Nation section editor the following year. In 1986, Smith was recruited by '' Newsweek'' to be its executive editor, a post he held until 1991, when he moved to Washington to become news editor of

Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, it was the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspaper brand ...

. In 1994, Smith was the founding editor of ''Civilization: The Magazine of the Library of Congress'' which won a

National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...

for General Excellence in 1996. He left to work at ''

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes da ...

'' in 1996'','' and was named editor of '' U.S. News & World Report'' in 1998, where he remained until 2001''.'' ''U.S. News'' on a National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online while he was its editor. Following a brief stint as vice president of communications at the Brookings Institution, Smith returned to journalism in 2004 to become Washington bureau chief for the '' Houston Chronicle'', followed by an eight-year run as editor of '' The Washington Examiner.'' In this position, Smith oversaw The Examiner's transition from daily print tabloid to a weekly magazine focused on national politics and policy. He stepped down in August 2014. In 2016, Smith returned to Atlantic Media's ''

,'' where he served as editor in chief for two years before becoming a senior editor at the parent company. He stayed in that position through 2018.

Professional affiliations

Smith served on the board of the National Press Foundation from 2005 to 2011. He is a member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

. He has been a member of the American Society of News Editors, American Society of Magazine Editors, National Press Club, and Overseas Press Club. At the University of Pennsylvania, he has been chairman of the Publications Committee.

Personal life

On May 22, 1982, he married Sarah Rowbotham Bedell at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York City. She is the daughter of James Rowbotham of

St. David's, Pennsylvania St. Davids is a primarily residential neighborhood located in the eastern part of Wayne, Pennsylvania. It is served by its own train station. St. Davids is home to the main campus of Eastern University, a four-year, liberal arts university affili ...

, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general. She is a biographer and historian known as Sally Bedell Smith. The couple has three children. They live in Washington, D.C. He has served on the board of overseers of the University of Pennsylvania, and as a member of the university's Athletics Advisory Board."Minutes of the University of Pennsylvania Trustees". University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Stephen G. 1949 births Living people American editors American male writers Deerfield Academy alumni Place of birth missing (living people) University of Pennsylvania alumni