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William Benton
Who was William Benton?
American politician (1900–1973)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on William Benton (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
William Burnett Benton was born on April 1, 1900, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He became a well-known figure in 20th-century America, working as an advertising executive, university administrator, senator, diplomat, and publisher. He went to Shattuck-Saint Mary's School, then attended Carleton College and Yale University, graduating in 1921. Benton had a very successful start in advertising, co-founding the Benton and Bowles firm, which became one of the top advertising agencies in the US during the late 1920s and 1930s.
After securing his financial future with advertising, Benton focused on public service and education. In 1937, he joined the University of Chicago as vice president with Robert Maynard Hutchins. He brought new ideas to university communications and outreach. In 1943, he organized the purchase of Encyclopædia Britannica for the university and became its publisher, a position he held until he passed away in 1973. During his leadership, the Britannica was expanded and updated, leading to the creation of its fifteenth edition.
Benton began his political career in 1949 when Connecticut's governor appointed him to a vacant U.S. Senate seat. He served until 1953, gaining attention for his strong opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism. In 1951, Benton bravely proposed a resolution to expel McCarthy from the Senate, a move that cost him politically and made him a target for McCarthy. Although he lost his Senate seat in 1952, his courage earned him a reputation for honesty in politics.
In his diplomatic role, Benton was Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 1945 to 1947 under President Harry S. Truman. He was instrumental in creating the United States Information Agency and strongly supported international cultural and educational exchanges. He believed deeply in using information and education to further American foreign policy, promoting American ideas and values abroad through media, libraries, and exchange programs.
Benton spent his later years focusing on the Encyclopædia Britannica, traveling worldwide to advance education and literacy. He died on March 18, 1973, in New York City, having dedicated over thirty years to one of the most renowned reference works in English. His career spanned business, politics, diplomacy, and publishing in a unique way, leaving a significant impact on American cultural and public life.
Before Fame
Growing up in Minneapolis at the turn of the twentieth century, William Benton came of age during a time of rapid industrial growth and expanding American ambitions. His early education at Shattuck-Saint Mary's and later studies at Carleton College and Yale University gave him a broad foundation at a time when top American universities were producing a generation of men set to shape the country's business and political spheres in the years between the wars.
After graduating from Yale in 1921, Benton entered the advertising world, quickly showing an exceptional talent for persuasion and marketing strategy. He co-founded the agency Benton and Bowles with Chester Bowles in 1929, and the company thrived even during the Great Depression by being among the first to use radio for advertising. By his mid-thirties, Benton had made enough money to retire from advertising entirely, allowing him to focus on education, public service, and later publishing and politics.
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the advertising firm Benton and Bowles in 1929, which became a leading force in American radio and broadcast advertising
- Served as United States Senator from Connecticut from 1949 to 1953 and was among the first senators to formally challenge Joseph McCarthy
- Acquired and served as publisher of the Encyclopædia Britannica from 1943 to 1973, overseeing its modernization and global distribution
- Served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs under President Truman and helped establish the foundations of American public diplomacy abroad
- Directed the development of the landmark fifteenth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, one of the most ambitious reference publishing projects of the twentieth century
Did You Know?
- 01.Benton introduced a Senate resolution in 1951 calling for Joseph McCarthy's expulsion, making him one of the very first sitting senators to formally challenge McCarthy on the Senate floor.
- 02.The advertising agency Benton and Bowles, which he co-founded with Chester Bowles in 1929, pioneered soap opera programming on radio as a means of commercial advertising.
- 03.Benton arranged the University of Chicago's purchase of the Encyclopædia Britannica in 1943 for a nominal sum and personally assumed the financial risks of publishing it for the next thirty years.
- 04.He was appointed to the Senate by Connecticut Governor Chester Bowles, his former advertising partner, creating one of the more unusual political partnerships in mid-century American politics.
- 05.As Assistant Secretary of State, Benton championed what became the Fulbright-Hays Act framework for international educational exchanges, seeing cultural diplomacy as essential to postwar American foreign policy.