ANNENBERG, WALTER H.

born March 13, 1908, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S. in full Walter Hubert Annenberg publisher, philanthropist, and art collector who served as U.S. ambassador to Britain from 1969 to 1974. Annenberg was the only son of Moses Annenberg (18781942), a poor immigrant from East Prussia who became the millionaire publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and the horse-racing publications Daily Racing Form and Morning Telegraph. In 1939 Moses Annenberg was indicted for tax evasion and bribery. Walter was also indicted, but the charges against him were dropped. When his father died shortly after being paroled in 1942, Walter inherited the debt- and scandal-ridden Triangle Publications, Inc. He successfully took the company in new directionsfounding the magazine Seventeen (1944), acquiring several television and radio stations, and developing TV Guide (1953), which became one of the most popular magazines in the United States. In 1988 Annenberg sold his interests in Triangle for a reported $3.2 billion. Annenberg was also renowned for his collection of Impressionist and Postimpressionist paintings and for his philanthropy. He donated millions to various museums, libraries, schools, and hospitals, as well as establishing the charitable M.L. Annenberg Foundation and the Annenberg School for Communication at both the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California.