Lewis H. Lapham

Lewis Henry Lapham II (; January 8, 1935 – July 23, 2024) was an American writer. He was the editor of the American monthly ''Harper's Magazine'' from 1976 until 1981, and from 1983 until 2006. He was the founder of '' Lapham's Quarterly'', a publication about history and literature, and wrote numerous books on politics and current affairs.

Early life and education

A son of Lewis A. Lapham and Jane Foster, Lapham was born January 8, 1935, in San Francisco. He was raised in San Francisco and his father was president of the Grace Line and Bankers Trust. His grandfather Roger Lapham had been mayor of San Francisco in the 1940s, and his great-grandfather, Lewis Henry Lapham, was a founder of Texaco. Through his grandfather, Lapham was the son of the first cousin of actor Christopher Lloyd, although Lapham was three years older. As a boy, he attended the Hotchkiss School, graduating in 1952.

Lapham was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge and Yale University, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall.

''Harper's Magazine''

Lapham served as editor of ''Harper's Magazine'' from 1976 to 2006 (with a hiatus from 1981 to 1983). He was managing editor from 1971 to 1975, after having worked for the ''San Francisco Examiner'' and the ''New York Herald Tribune''. He was largely responsible for the modern look and prominence of the magazine, having introduced many of its signature features, including the "Harper's Index". He announced that he would become editor emeritus in 2006, continuing to write his Notebook column for the magazine as well as editing a new journal about history, '' Lapham's Quarterly''. Lapham also worked with the PEN American Center, sitting on the board of judges for the PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award. In 2007, he was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame.

Lapham wrote a September 2004 column for ''Harper's'' in which he included a brief account of the Republican National Convention as if he had witnessed it, "reflecting on the content and sharing with readers a question that occurred to him as he listened", as Jennifer Senior wrote in the ''New York Times Book Review''. The magazine arrived in subscribers' mailboxes before the convention took place, as Senior says "forcing Lapham to admit that the scene was a fiction". The columnist apologized, "but pointed out political conventions are drearily scripted anyway – he basically knew what was going to be said". Senior continues, "By this logic, though, I could have chosen not to read ''Pretensions to Empire'' before reviewing it, since I already knew Lapham's sensibility, just as he claims to know the Republicans.".

''Lapham's Quarterly''

Lapham retired from ''Harper's'' in 2006. That year, he founded '' Lapham's Quarterly'', a publication about history and literature. Each issue was devoted to one subject and featured pieces by ancient writers to contemporary celebrities.

Works

After spending a year studying history at the University of Cambridge, Lapham wrote for the ''San Francisco Examiner'', the ''New York Herald Tribune'', ''The Saturday Evening Post'', and ''Life''. He also contributed to '' Commentary'', ''Fortune'', ''Forbes'', '' Vanity Fair'', among other publications. Lapham served as a judge for the PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award.

Lapham was the host and author of the PBS series ''America's Century'' and he was host of the weekly PBS series, ''Bookmark'' from 1989 to 1991.

Lapham was until his death the host of ''The World in Time'': radio discussions with scholars and historians on Bloomberg Radio that open the doors of history behind the events in the news. Podcasts of the weekly talks are available at Bloomberg.com.

Lapham wrote '' The American Ruling Class'' (2005), a movie done in documentary style and featuring fictional characters and real people, i.e. Bill Bradley, Hodding Carter III and Barbara Ehrenreich, author of '' Nickel and Dimed'', pondering the question "Is there a ruling class in America?", Lapham states at the movie's conclusion that "if you're not in, you're out". The movie aired on the Sundance Channel on July 30, 2007.

Awards

In 1978, Lapham received the Gerald Loeb Award for Magazines. In 2016, he received the insignia of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Personal life

In 1972, Lapham married Joan Brooke Reeves, the daughter of Edward J. Reeves, a stockbroker and grocery heir, and Elizabeth M. Brooke (formerly the wife of Thomas Wilton Phipps, a nephew of Nancy Astor). They had three children:
* Delphina (married ''Prince Don'' Bante Maria Boncompagni-Ludovisi).
* Andrew (married Caroline Mulroney, only daughter of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney)
* Winston

Lapham, previously living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, moved to Rome at the start of 2024. He died there on July 23, 2024, at the age of 89.

Books

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Articles

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References

External links

''Lapham's Quarterly''
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Essays by Lewis H. Lapham
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapham, Lewis H.
Lewis H.
1935 births
2024 deaths
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
American essayists
American expatriates in Italy
American magazine editors
American male essayists
American male journalists
American people of English descent
American political writers
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Gerald Loeb Award winners for Magazines
Harper's Magazine people
Hotchkiss School alumni
San Francisco Examiner people
Writers from Manhattan
Writers from San Francisco
Yale University alumni
People from the Upper East Side