Edward Kramer Thompson (January 15, 1907 – October 8, 1996) was an American writer and editor. He was the editor of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

'' from its early days as a weekly and was the founding editor of '' Smithsonian'' magazine.

Biography

Thompson was born in 1907 in St. Thomas, North Dakota, to Edward T. Thompson, a dry goods business proprietor and local banker. After finishing high school at 15, he went with his mother to

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city ...

, at the age of 16 to begin his studies at the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

. His first wife was Marguerite Maxam, from

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

, whom he married in 1928. The first of his two sons, Edward T. Thompson would become the editor of ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

''. He would move to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, with his family in 1929 to work for the ''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'' where he would remain until 1937.

''Life''

While at the ''Milwaukee Journal'' he also worked as a

stringer Stringer may refer to: Structural elements * Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened * Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal * Stringer (stairs), ...

for ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' which brought him to the attention of

Henry Luce Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967) was an American magazine magnate who founded ''Time'', ''Life'', ''Fortune'', and ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine. He has been called "the most influential private citizen in the America ...

who was thinking about introducing a national picture magazine, which would become ''Life''. Luce hired Thompson in 1937 as assistant picture editor for this new venture. From 1949–1961 he was the managing editor. During this time he came to know Lee Eitingon, who would become his second wife in 1963. Thompson was known for the free rein he gave his editors, particularly a "trio of formidable and colorful women:

Sally Kirkland Sally Kirkland (born October 31, 1941) is an American film, television and stage actress and producer. A former member of Andy Warhol's The Factory and an active member in 1960s New York avant-garde theater, she has appeared in more than 250 fi ...

, fashion editor; Mary Letherbee, movie editor; and

Mary Hamman Mary Hamman (August 2, 1907 – November 18, 1984) was an American writer and editor. She was an editor for ''Pictorial Review'', ''Good Housekeeping'', '' Mademoiselle'', as well as the modern living editor for ''LIFE'' and editor-in-chief fo ...

, modern living editor."Hamblin, Dora Jane: "That Was The Life", page 161. W.W. Norton & Company, 1977. He retired from ''Life'' as editor in chief, in 1970.

''Smithsonian''

Next he "invented", to use his word, ''Smithsonian'' magazine. "To those all-out converts to computerized journalism who declaim that 'print is dead,' I say, 'Not so fast. are his opening words of his book: ''A Love Affair with Life & Smithsonian'' published by the

University of Missouri Press The University of Missouri Press is a university press operated by the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri and London, England; it was founded in 1958 primarily through the efforts of English professor William Peden. Many publications a ...

in October 1995. His other 'invention' was the magazine ''Impact'' which he created for the Army Air Forces during his time out during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

; ''Life'', he would say, was Henry Luce's invention.

Death

He died on October 8, 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Edward K 1907 births 1996 deaths American magazine founders American magazine publishers (people) People from Pembina County, North Dakota Writers from North Dakota University of North Dakota alumni Life (magazine) people 20th-century American writers 20th-century American businesspeople Recipients of the Legion of Merit 20th-century American male writers