Biographical Note
Lawrence Edmund Spivak was born in 1900 in New York City. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1921 and began his career in publishing as business manager of Antiques magazine. In 1934, he became business manager of American Mercury magazine; he later became its publisher and editor. In Washington, D.C., in 1945, with radio producer Martha Rountree, Spivak co-founded and co-produced the weekly public affairs program Meet the Press, first on radio, and then in 1947 added a separate television edition on the NBC network. Separate shows were produced until 1950, when the radio edition ceased. In 1953, Spivak bought Martha Rountree's interest in the program. The National Broadcasting Company purchased Meet the Press in 1955, and Spivak remained as regular panelist, producer, and moderator of the program until he retired in 1975. He was a consultant to NBC after 1975. Spivak died on March 9, 1994.
For a more extensive biography see the Manuscript Division's finding aid for the Lawrence E. Spivak papers, 1917-1994.