Cowles family
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Who are the Cowles family?
The Cowles family is an American publishing family known for newspapers and mass magazines, most notably Look magazine, popular in the mid-20th century.
Key members:
- Gardner Cowles, Sr., a small-town banker who bought the Des Moines Register and Leader
- John Cowles, son of Gardner Cowles, Sr., managed The Minneapolis Star and bought the Minneapolis Tribune.
- Gardner Cowles, Jr., also called Mike, founded Look magazine and was editor in chief and chairman of the board of Cowles Communications from 1937 to 1971.
- Fleur Fenton Cowles was married to Gardner Cowles, Jr., and was active in Cowles Publications. She influenced the introduction of Quick (1949) and Flair (1950–51) magazines.
- John Cowles, Jr., was editor and chairman of the Minneapolis Star and the Minneapolis Tribune.
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What is the Cowles family known for in America?
The Cowles family is an American publishing family known for Look and other popular mass magazines of the mid-20th century. They also developed newspapers in regions of the United States.
John and Mike Cowles persuaded their father to buy The Minneapolis Star. John managed it in 1937 and later bought the Minneapolis Tribune. Mike founded Look magazine in 1937, a competitor to Life. Fleur Fenton Cowles, married to Gardner Cowles, Jr. from 1946 to 1956, helped introduce Quick (1949) and Flair (1950–51) magazines.
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How did the Cowles family become involved in publishing?
The Cowles family's involvement in publishing began when Gardner Cowles, Sr., a banker, purchased the Des Moines Register and Leader in 1903. His sons, John and Mike, played pivotal roles in expanding the family's media interests. Together, they convinced their father to buy The Minneapolis Star, with John later managing it after its purchase in 1937.
Mike Cowles founded Look magazine in 1937, which provided significant competition to Life magazine. Fleur Fenton Cowles, who was married to Gardner Cowles, Jr., also influenced Cowles Publications and contributed to the creation of Quick and Flair magazines.
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What newspapers or magazines did the Cowles family own or run?
The Cowles family, an American publishing family, had significant influence in the media industry, owning and running several newspapers and magazines.
Key publications associated with the Cowles family:
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Des Moines Register and Leader Gardner Cowles, Sr. bought this paper, which later became the Register and Tribune.
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Minneapolis Star John and Mike Cowles convinced their father to purchase this paper.
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Minneapolis Tribune John Cowles later bought this newspaper.
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Look Gardner Cowles, Jr. founded Look magazine, which competed with Life magazine.
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Quick Fleur Fenton Cowles influenced the introduction of this short-lived magazine.
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Flair Fleur Fenton Cowles also influenced the introduction of this magazine.
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How did the Cowles family's publishing work affect American media?
The Cowles family significantly impacted American media through their publishing ventures newspapers. Gardner Cowles, Sr., acquired the Des Moines Register and Leader, which became the dominant daily in Iowa under his sons John and Mike. Together, they expanded their media influence by purchasing The Minneapolis Star and Minneapolis Tribune. Mike Cowles founded Look magazine in 1937, which offered significant competition to Life magazine. Despite its popularity, Look was eventually suspended due to rising costs and competition from television.
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What lasting impact has the Cowles family had on publishing in the United States?
The Cowles family significantly impacted U.S. publishing through their mass magazines and newspapers Look. Gardner Cowles, Sr., purchased the Des Moines Register and Leader, setting the stage for the family's entry into the publishing world. His sons, John and Mike, further expanded their influence by acquiring The Minneapolis Star and Minneapolis Tribune. Mike Cowles founded Look magazine, which rivaled Life magazine in popularity. Fleur Fenton Cowles, married to Gardner Cowles, Jr., contributed to Cowles Publications and introduced Quick and Flair magazines.
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Cowles family, publishing family known for Look and other mass magazines popular in the mid-20th century and for the newspapers it developed in two important regions of the United States.
John Cowles (b. December 14, 1898, Algona, Iowa, U.S.—d. February 25, 1983, Minneapolis, Minnesota) was the son of Gardner Cowles, Sr., a small-town banker who bought the Des Moines Register and Leader, the weakest of three daily papers in the Iowa metropolis. John attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University, where he earned an A.B. degree in 1921. He went home to work on what through a merger had become the Register and Tribune, starting in the advertising department and moving on through a wide variety of jobs to learn the trade, finally becoming general manager. In the 1930s and ’40s John served on the board of directors of the Associated Press, and he also held the position of president of the Audit Bureau of Circulations for four years. John and his brother Mike persuaded their father to approve their purchase of The Minneapolis Star, which was at the time in financial difficulties, and in 1937 John moved to Minneapolis to manage it. He later bought the Minneapolis Tribune. Active in government affairs, John was a member of the General Advisory Committee of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency from 1962 to 1969.
Gardner Cowles, Jr., called Mike (b. January 31, 1903, Algona, Iowa, U.S.—d. July 8, 1985, Southampton, New York), followed his brother John to Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University, where he edited the Harvard Crimson. Upon his graduation in 1925, he went home to Des Moines to be city editor of the Register and Tribune. The next year he became news editor and then moved up gradually to become executive editor in 1931. During his tenure the paper came to be the dominant daily in the entire state of Iowa. In 1937 Gardner founded Look magazine, which he operated from Des Moines until 1941, when he moved it to New York. The magazine gave Henry Luce’s Life significant competition, but increasing production and distribution costs and competition from television forced its suspension despite healthy circulation in the 1960s. Gardner was editor in chief and chairman of the board of Cowles Communications from 1937 to 1971.
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Fleur Fenton Cowles (b. January 20, 1908, New York City, New York, U.S.—d. June 5, 2009, Sussex, England) was married to Gardner Cowles, Jr., from 1946 to 1956, and during the marriage she was active in the affairs of Cowles Publications. She had previously been an advertising writer and set up her own business. She wrote a weekly column in the New York World-Telegram and did some work for Look. Her influence led to the introduction of two short-lived magazines, Quick (1949) and Flair (1950–51). In 1996 her autobiography, She Made Friends and Kept Them, was published.
John Cowles, Jr. (b. May 27, 1929, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.—d. March 17, 2012, Minneapolis, Minnesota), followed the family pattern of attending Phillips Exeter and Harvard, where he graduated in 1951. In 1953 he joined the Minneapolis Star and the Minneapolis Tribune, acquired by his father. He became editor in 1961 and was chairman from 1973 to 1979, resuming active control again in 1982. A recession in the early 1980s forced the merger of the Star and Tribune into one paper. Further losses led to John’s ouster as president and publisher in 1983.