Walter Annenberg

His Excellency Walter Annenberg KBE KSG
Walter Annenberg, 1981
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office April 29, 1969 – October 30, 1974
Monarch	Elizabeth II
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson Edward Heath Harold Wilson
Preceded by	David K. E. Bruce
Succeeded by	Elliot Richardson
Personal details
Born	(1908-03-13)March 13, 1908 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died	October 1, 2002(2002-10-01) (aged 94) Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Resting place	Sunnylands, Rancho Mirage, California 33°46′34″N 116°24′43″W / 33.776°N 116.412°W / 33.776; -116.412
Nationality	United States
Spouse(s)	Veronica Dunkelman (m. 1938; div. 1950) Leonore Cohn (m. 1951)
Relations	Diana Annenberg (sis.; 1900–05) Esther Levee (sis.; 1901–92) Janet Hooker (sis.; 1904–97) Enid Haupt (sis.; 1906–2005) Lita Hazen (sis.; 1909–19) Evelyn Hall (sis.; 1911–2005) Harriet Aronson (sis.; 1914–69) 7 grandchildren 6 great-grandchildren
Children	Wallis (b. 1939) Roger (1940–62)
Parents	Moses Annenberg (1877–1942) Sadie Cecelia née Freedman (1879–1965)
Residence	Wynnewood, Pennsylvania Rancho Mirage, California
Occupation	Publisher Diplomat
Awards	Officier of Legion of Honour  Presidential Medal of Freedom (1986)  Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1976)  Knight of Order of St. Gregory the Great Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service (1988) Linus Pauling Medal for Humanitarianism
Website	Annenberg Foundation

Walter Hubert Annenberg (March 13, 1908 – October 1, 2002) was an American publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat. He built up his family’s magazine business with great success, extending it into radio and TV. At Sunnylands, his grand estate near Palm Springs, California, he entertained royalty, presidents and many other celebrities. He was United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1974. A keen philanthropist, he was a trustee of the Eisenhower Fellowships, and is believed to have donated $2 billion to educational establishments and art galleries. He also is remembered for his media campaigns against the Barnes Foundation and the wish to relocate its art collection.

Walter Annenberg was born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 13, 1908. He was the only son of Sadie Cecelia née Freedman (1879–1965) and Moses "Moe" Louis Annenberg, who published the Daily Racing Form and purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1936. Annenberg was a stutterer since childhood.

He had seven sisters, whose names were Diana Annenberg (1900–1905), Esther "Aye" Annenberg Simon Levee (1901–1992), Janet Annenberg Hooker (1904–1997), Enid Annenberg Haupt (1906–2005), Lita Annenberg Hazen (1909–1995), Evelyn Annenberg Jaffe Hall (1911–2005), and Harriet Beatrice Annenberg Ames Aronson (1914–1969).

The Annenberg family moved to Long Island, New York, in 1920, and Walter attended high school at the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, graduating in 1927. He dropped out of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and never attained a college degree. While in college, he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau, a traditionally Jewish fraternity.