Julian Koenig

Julian Norman Koenig (/ˈkeɪnɪɡ/; April 22, 1921 – June 12, 2014) was an award-winning copywriter who is widely considered one of the greatest in the history of advertising. He was inducted into The One Club Creative Hall of Fame in 1966.

In 1970, renowned copywriter Jerry Della Femina wrote of Koenig: "There was a period about eight years ago when it seemed that Julian Koenig was the copywriter on every great ad that was ever written. I spent my first five years in this business trying to emulate Mr. Koenig. I wasn't alone. Ask any top copywriter who he followed early in his career and almost to a man, they'll mention Julian Koenig."

Koenig was born to a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Minna (Harlib) and Morris Koenig. He was from a family of lawyers and judges. He studied at Dartmouth College and briefly at Columbia Law School. Before finishing law school he dropped out to write a novel and later found his way into the advertising industry. Koenig served four years in the United States Army Air Forces, 1942-1946. In 1946, Julian became half owner of a semi-pro baseball team, the Yonkers Indians, with his friend, writer Eliot Asinof. The team went bankrupt during its second season under their ownership, in part because there were no women's bathrooms at the Indians' ball park. Julian Koenig's older brother was Lester Koenig, a screenwriter and film producer, who, after he became a victim of the Hollywood blacklist, was principally known for heading the jazz record label, Contemporary Records.

He was married twice, first to Aquila Connolly, and later to Maria Eckhart. He had four children: Pim, an artist; John, a businessman and horse racing enthusiast; Antonia, an attorney and social worker; and Sarah, a producer for the public radio show This American Life and host of acclaimed podcast Serial. He also has seven grandchildren. Koenig died in Manhattan on June 12, 2014.

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