John Cowles Jr.

John Cowles Jr.

John Cowles Jr. in 1978
Born (1929-05-07)May 7, 1929
Des Moines, Iowa
Died March 17, 2012(2012-03-17) (aged 82)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cause of death Lung cancer
Nationality American
Alma mater Harvard University
Occupation Publisher
Spouse(s) Sage Cowles
Children Jay, Charles, Tessa, Jane

John Cowles Jr. (May 27, 1929 – March 17, 2012) was an American editor and publisher, son of John Cowles Sr. (1898–1983). Cowles sat on the boards of directors of the The Associated Press and Columbia University's Pulitzer Prizes and had been CEO of Cowles Media Company, founded by his grandfather and until 1998 the parent of the Star Tribune.[1][2] In 1960, he helped Minneapolis raise US$2.4 million to build the first Guthrie Theater and later helped the city build the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Cowles then supported the Guthrie's demolition in 2006 for the expansion of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden next door to the Walker Art Center.[3]

In a 2006 essay written at the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Cowles wrote, "The nonprofit sector must reform itself, most notably by initiating some minimum federal standards of behavior and by limiting the lifespan of private foundations to 25 or 30 years so that emphasis is on accomplishment, not process and perpetuation."[3][4] In 1965, Cowles acquired half-interest in Harper's magazine which during his fifteen-year tenure lost readers and nearly US$2 million.[4][5] He donated startup funds for MinnPost.com which was founded in 2007.[2]

Death

Cowles died at home of lung cancer on March 17, 2012.[6] He was 82.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Media profiles". Ketupa.net. Archived from the original on 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  2. 1 2 Wyant, Carissa (2007-08-27). "Cowles, Lynch back Web daily venture". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. American City Business Journals, Inc. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  3. 1 2 Webb, Latasha (2001-11-07). "Guthrie Theater demolition plans fuel patron debate". The Minnesota Daily, via Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-30 and 2009-12-03. Check date values in: |access-date= (help) and Gelfand, Lou (2006-07-09). "Nonprofits champion Cowles calls for limits on their lifetimes". Star Tribune. Avista Capital Partners. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  4. 1 2 "Harper's Bazaar". Time. Time Warner Inc. 1965-05-07. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  5. ↑ Manning, Robert review of Lapham, Lewis H. and Ellen Rosenbush, eds. (2000). An American Album: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Harper's Magazine Franklin Square Press. ISBN 1-879957-53-1 (Fall 2000). "Harper's Magazine: A Survivor!". Nieman Reports, The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. 54 (3). Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  6. ↑ Star-Tribune obituary (March 18, 2012)

Further reading

Obituaries

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