Condé Nast (businessman)
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Condé Montrose Nast (March 26, 1873 – September 19, 1942) was an American
publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
,
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...
and
business magnate A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
. He founded
Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...
, a mass media company, and published titles such as ''Vanity Fair'' and ''Vogue''.


Early life

Named after his uncle, Condé Montrose Nast was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to a family of
Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
origin. His father, William F. Nast—son of the German-born
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
leader William Nast—was an inventor who had been a U.S.
attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...
in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. His mother, Esther A. Benoist, was a daughter of pioneering
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
banker
Louis Auguste Benoist Louis Auguste Benoist (1803–1867) was an American pioneer banker and financier. He was born August 13, 1803, in St. Louis, Missouri, then a French settlement in Louisiana, and soon to become a possession of the United States under the Louisi ...
, a descendant of a prominent French family who emigrated to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, then to
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. He had three siblings. Nast's aunt financed his studies at
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
, from which he graduated in 1894. During his studies, he served as class president and was a member of Georgetown's debating organization, the
Philodemic Society The Philodemic Society is a student debating society at Georgetown University founded in 1830 by Father James Ryder, S.J. The Philodemic is among the oldest such societies in the United States, and is the oldest secular student organization a ...
. He stayed on an extra year to receive a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
from Georgetown in 1895. He went on to earn a law degree from
Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...
in 1897.


Career

Nast did not take well to law and, upon graduation, took on a job working for a former Georgetown classmate, Robert Collier, as advertising manager for ''
Collier's Weekly } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...
''. Over the course of a decade, he increased the advertising revenue a hundredfold. He published books and ''
Lippincott's Monthly Magazine ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' was a 19th-century literary magazine published in Philadelphia from 1868 to 1915, when it relocated to New York to become ''Robert M. McBride, McBride's Magazine''. It merged with ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1916. ...
'' with Robert M. McBride. After leaving ''Collier's'', Nast bought ''Vogue'', then a small New York society magazine, transforming it into one of America's premier fashion magazines. He then turned ''Vanity Fair'' into a sophisticated general-interest publication, with the help of his friend
Frank Crowninshield Francis Welch Crowninshield (June 24, 1872 – December 28, 1947) was an American journalist and art and theater critic best known for developing and editing the magazine ''Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913-1936), Vanity Fair'' for 21 years, m ...
, who was editor and a major influence for more than 20 years. It published many new and high-quality writers and displayed reproductions of modern art. Nast eventually owned a stable of magazines which included ''House & Garden'', British, French and Argentine editions of ''Vogue'', ''
Le Jardin des Modes ''Le Jardin des Modes'' was a French language women's fashion magazine published monthly in France between 1922 and 1997. History and profile The magazine was first published in April 1922 as ''L'Illustration des Modes'' and aimed to a cutting e ...
'' and ''Glamour'' – the last magazine added to the group while he was alive. While other publishers simply focused on increasing the number of magazines in circulation, Nast targeted groups of readers by income level or common interest. Among his staff were
Edna Woolman Chase Edna Woolman Chase (; March 14, 1877 – March 21, 1957) was an American who served as editor-in-chief of '' Vogue'' magazine from 1914 to 1952. Early life Chase was born on March 14, 1877, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She was the daughter of F ...
, who served as the
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
of ''Vogue'',
Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...
and
Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist, newspaper columnist and actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays ...
.


Personal life

Nast was married twice. His first wife was Clarisse Coudert, a
Coudert Brothers Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York–based law firm with that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006. History The firm was established in 1853 in New York by three sons of Charles Coudert Sr.: Frederic René Coudert Sr., Charles Co ...
law-firm heiress who became a set and costume designer. They married in 1902, separated in 1919 and divorced in 1925. They had two children, including Charles Coudert Nast. His second wife was Leslie Foster, granddaughter of short-time governor of Wyoming Territory, George W. Baxter. They married in 1928 when she was 20 and he was 55 and divorced around 1932. They had one child. Between 1932 and 1936, Nast's companion was ''Vanity Fair'' writer
Helen Brown Norden Helen Lawrenson (born Helen Strough Brown, October 1, 1907 – April 5, 1982) was an American editor, writer and socialite who gained fame in the 1930s with her acerbic descriptions of New York society. She made friends with great ease, m ...
. He was nearly ruined by the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and spent his last years struggling to regain his early prosperity. Condé Nast died on September 19, 1942, and is interred at
Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents is baseb ...
in
Hawthorne, New York Hawthorne is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. Its population was 4,586 at the 2010 census. History The ...
. His grave is in Section 25 of the cemetery, near
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
and
Billy Martin Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yankees. First known ...
.


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nast, Condé Montrose 1873 births 1942 deaths American magazine founders American people of French-Canadian descent American people of German descent Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York) Businesspeople from New York City Condé Nast people Georgetown University alumni Washington University School of Law alumni Philodemic Society members Washington University in St. Louis alumni