Osborn Elliott, American journalist, educator, retired dean. Named to Hall of Fame, New York City Deadline Club, 2000; recipient Carr Van Anda award, Ohio University, 1969, Frederick Douglass award, New York Urban League, 1993, Editor's Hall of Fame award, American Society Magazine Editors, 1996, Creative Spirit award, Black Alumni Pratt Institute, 1997, Browning School Alumni award, 2001.
Background
Osborn Elliott was born in New York City, the son of Audrey Osborn and John Elliott. His father worked as an investment counselor His mother was a high profile real estate agent in Manhattan who had been actively involved with the American women"s suffrage movement of the early 20th Century.
Education
Graduate, St. Paul's School, 1942. AB, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1946. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Michigan State University, East Lansing, 1972.
Doctor of Letters (honorary), Marlboro College, Vermont, 1996. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Marymount Manhattan College, New York City, 1998.
Career
Elliott is credited with transforming Newsweek from a staid publication into a modern rival of Time. Newsweek"s circulation doubled to 3 million issues during Elliott"s tenure as editor, which narrowed the gap with Time. He served in the United States Navy for two years after graduation as a naval officer
Elliott began his career in the news magazine publishing industry by joing the Journal of Commerce and then Time magazine.
He was first hired by Newsweek in 1955 as a senior editor of business news. He was promoted to managing editor of Newsweek in 1959.
Elliott was further elevated to editor of Newsweek in 1961 when the magazine was acquired by the Washington Post Company. He became the editor in chief of Newsweek in 1969.
He took on the additional roles of president, chief executive and chairman within the following three years.
New York City Mayor Abraham Beame offered Elliott a position with the New York City government in 1976 as the newly created deputy mayor of economic development. Elliott left Newsweek to take the deputy mayor position for an annual salary of $1 per year. Elliott"s role in New York government was to reverse the loss of jobs which was taking place at the time in New York City.
He served as deputy mayor for the remaining 15 months of the Beame administration.
Elliott was named dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in January 1978. He stepped down from that position in 1986, but remained at the school as a journalism professor
The Asia Society, which is headquartered in New York City, has since named an annual journalism prize, the Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Asian Journalism, in his honor. In 1975, Elliott founded Citizens Committee for New York City along with Senator Jacob Javits.
His 1980 autobiography was titled "The World of Ounces"
Personal life
Death
Osborn Elliott died in New York City on September 28, 2008.
He was 83 years old. The current editor of Newsweek, Jon Meacham, called Elliott, "Wise and witty, Oz Elliott is the architect of the modern Newsweek." The Asia Society released a statement which called Elliott "one of the earliest practitioners of "civic journalism" -- the deliberate focusing of the journalistic enterprise on urgent issues of public policy.".
Board overseers Harvard College, 1965—1971. Trustee New York Public Library., 1968—1972, 1977—1979, St. Paul's School, 1969—1973, American Museum Natural History, 1958—1980, Lincoln Center Theater, 1987—1992, Pulitzer Prize Board, 1979—1986. Judge Livingston Journalism Awards.
Chairman China Seas, Inc., 1973—1990, Bernstein Book award New York Public Library. Chairman board directors Citizens Committee for New York City, 1975—1979, 1990—2003. Board directors New Yorkers for Children, from 1999.
Organizer 250,000 person Save Our Cities! Save Our Children! March on Washington, 1992. Life trustee Asia Society. Fellow American Academy Arts and Sciences.
Member Council Foreign Relations, Harvard Club, Century Association, Ellis Island Yacht Club (commodore).
Connections
Married Deirdre M. Spencer, May 8, 1948 (divorced December 1972). Children: Diana, Cynthia, Dorinda. Married Inger Abrahamsen McCabe, October 20, 1973.
Named to Hall of Fame, New York City Deadline Club, 2000. Recipient Carr Van Anda award, Ohio University, 1969, Frederick Douglass award, New York Urban League, 1993, Editor's Hall of Fame award, American Society Magazine Editors, 1996, Creative Spirit award, Black Alumni Pratt Institute, 1997, Browning School Alumni award, 2001.
Named to Hall of Fame, New York City Deadline Club, 2000. Recipient Carr Van Anda award, Ohio University, 1969, Frederick Douglass award, New York Urban League, 1993, Editor's Hall of Fame award, American Society Magazine Editors, 1996, Creative Spirit award, Black Alumni Pratt Institute, 1997, Browning School Alumni award, 2001.