Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1908, Mar. 20 | Born, Muskegon, Mich. |
| 1930 | B.A., Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio |
| 1931 | Married Ruth Stephenson (died 1992) |
| 1935 | Ph.D. in psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio |
| 1935-1938 | Staff member, Research Department, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (CBS Inc.) |
| 1937 | Developed with Paul Felix Lazarsfeld the program analyzer, a machine used to measure radio audience reaction to program content |
| 1937-1940 | Founder and associate director with Hadley Cantril of the Office of Radio Research, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J. |
| 1938-1946 | Appointed director of research, CBS Inc., and rapidly promoted through a series of corporate management positions including director of advertising, vice president and general executive, and vice president and general manager |
| 1941-1945 | Government consultant, Office of Fact and Figures, Office of War Information, Secretary of War, and Department of the Navy |
| 1946-1971 | President and chief operating officer, CBS Inc. |
| 1948 | Led effort to develop and establish standards for color television Advocated for the right of non-print media to broadcast editorials |
| 1951 | Reorganized CBS Inc., creating separate corporate divisions for radio, television, and research laboratories Directed the creation of CBS's eye logo |
| 1952 | Campaigned to repeal the “equal time” provision of section 315 of the Federal Communications Act |
| 1953-1960 | Founding chairman, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, Calif. |
| 1956-1962 | Administrator-designate, Emergency Communications Agency, Office of Civil Defense Mobilization |
| 1957 | Paul White Memorial Award (also awarded in 1971) |
| 1959 | George Foster Peabody Award (also awarded in 1960, 1961, 1964, and 1972) Emmy Award (also awarded in 1972) |
| 1960 | Initiated the first televised presidential debates between candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon |
| 1961 | Vice chairman, National Fund Committee of the American National Red Cross |
| 1961-1967 | Chairman, Rand Corp. |
| 1962 | Directed the development and design of network headquarters (“Black Rock”), New York, N.Y. |
| 1964-1973 | Chairman, United States Advisory Commission on Information |
| 1967 | Special Honor Award, American Institute of Architects |
| 1969 | Defended network news in response to Vice President Spiro Agnew's criticism of broadcast journalism |
| 1970 | Tiffany Design Award |
| 1971 | Defended freedom of the press against government prosecution relating to the CBS television documentary The Selling of the Pentagon |
| 1971-1973 | Vice chairman of the board, CBS Inc. |
| 1972 | Freedom of Press Award |
| 1972-1974 | Chairman, Business Committee for the Arts |
| 1973 | Four Freedoms Award Retired from CBS Inc. |
| 1973-1979 | Chairman and principal officer, American National Red Cross |
| 1978-1984 | Overseer, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. |
| 1983-1990 | Member, President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities |
| 1986 | Elected to the Hall of Fame of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences |
| 1993 | First Amendment Award, Radio-Television News Directors Association |
| 2006, Dec. 24 | Died, Boston, Mass. |