Enid A. Haupt

Enid Annenberg Haupt (May 13, 1906 – October 25, 2005) was an American publisher and philanthropist whose gifts supported horticulture, the arts, architectural and historic preservation, and cancer research. She has been described as "the greatest patron American horticulture has ever known" by Gregory Long, the president of the New York Botanical Garden.

Haupt was born in Chicago to Sadie and Moses Annenberg, the founder of a publishing empire based on The Daily Racing Form and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She was fourth of eight children and last surviving child (seven girls and a boy) born to the couple; the boy was Walter H. Annenberg, who was to become a publisher and philanthropist in his own right. One of her sisters was Janet Annenberg Hooker. She grew up in Milwaukee.

She was tall and thin as a young girl, and resolved to impress her older sisters by memorizing a new word each day. She attended Mount Ida Seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, during which time her family moved to New York. Her father was convicted of tax evasion during the 1930s and sentenced to two years in prison; he died in prison.

In 1953, she was charged with publishing Seventeen magazine, a post she would hold until 1970. She also wrote "Young Living", a syndicated fashion, beauty and lifestyle column.

Haupt's first marriage, to Norman Bensinger, ended in divorce; they had one child, Pamela Enid Bensinger (Nusbaum, Allen), (1929-1997). She later married Ira Haupt, who died in 1963. It was through this marriage that she became involved with gardening, particularly in the growing of flowers, after she encouraged her husband to help his gardeners find better jobs.

Haupt is quoted as often having said "Nature is my religion," and once told The New York Times "Books are the most important things in my life besides nature." As an heiress to a family fortune, she was able to make significant contributions to her personal causes and interests, foremost among which was horticulture.

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