William S. Rukeyser (June 8, 1939 – August 16, 2022) was an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

who was the founding

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edito ...

of ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

'' magazine and

of ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

''.

Biography

From its founding in 1998 until 2009 Rukeyser was editorial director of '' Corporate Board Member''

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinati ...

, aimed at the directors of

public companies A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (lis ...

. He also has appeared on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

as a financial commentator on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...

Financial News and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. He was the son of the late financial journalist Merryle S. Rukeyser and the younger brother of the late financial journalist and commentator

Louis Rukeyser Louis Richard Rukeyser (January 30, 1933 – May 2, 2006) was an American financial journalist, columnist, and commentator, through print, radio, and television. He was best known for his role as host of two television series, ''Wall Street We ...

of ''

Wall Street Week ''Bloomberg Wall Street Week'' (''WSW''), is an investment news and information TV program airing Friday nights on the Bloomberg Television. The original weekly show hosted by Louis Rukeyser aired each Friday evening on PBS in the United States ...

'' fame. Rukeyser attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

, graduating with an A.B. degree in 1961. He also studied English literature as a graduate student at Christ's College,

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

.Our People
''Corporate Board Member'' magazine website, accessed April 19, 2008 After four years as a '' Wall Street Journal'' reporter in Europe, he started work at

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 1967 as an associate editor of ''Fortune''. In 1968, he signed the "

Writers and Editors War Tax Protest Tax resistance, the practice of refusing to pay taxes that are considered unjust, has probably existed ever since rulers began imposing taxes on their subjects. It has been suggested that tax resistance played a significant role in the collapse of ...

" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. When ''Money'' was founded in 1972 he became its managing editor, and continued in that position for eight years before returning to ''Fortune'' as its managing editor.Rukeyser Is Shifting From Time to Whittle
''

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 ...

'', December 7, 1987 In 1988 he left Time Inc., to become editor in chief for

Whittle Communications H. Christopher Whittle (born August 24, 1947) is an American entrepreneur who has founded four innovative companies in the fields of education and media, serving as the CEO of each. Whittle Communications, a 1,000-person magazine, television, and ...

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

. In 1998 he became editorial director of the new magazine ''Corporate Board Member'', aimed at the directors of public companies.William B. King
Corporate Board Member magazine debuts in August
''Bank Director'', Third Quarter 1998 He continued in that role until 2009, after which he continued to devote his time to

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, org ...

and editorial consulting on projects such as ''The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs'' by Charles D. Ellis (Penguin Press, 2008). Rukeyser and his wife, Elisabeth, were residents of Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was chairman of University Health System Inc. and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. He is also a director of the

Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain a ...

Foundation and a member of the advisory board of the Princeton

University Press Club The University Press Club is an organization of Princeton University undergraduates who work as professional freelance journalists for local, regional, and national publications. It is the only student-run group of its kind in the country. Press ...

. Rukeyser died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malignan ...

on August 16, 2022. He was 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rukeyser, William S. 1939 births 2022 deaths American finance and investment writers American male journalists American business and financial journalists American tax resisters Writers from New Rochelle, New York Fortune (magazine) people Journalists from New York (state) Activists from New Rochelle, New York Managing editors New Rochelle High School alumni