Gilbert Harrison Biography

Former publisher of the liberal political and cultural opinion journal, The New Republic. Harrison was owner and editor of The New Republic from 1953 to 1974. Under him the publication was influential and had a strong voice on civil rights issues, but was rarely profitable. At the start of the Vietnam War The New Republic was supportive, but it quickly became an opponent of the war, often criticizing Presidents Johnson and Nixon. In the 1970s the weekly publication reached a circulation of 100,000 with Walter Pincus writing about Watergate and Stanley Karnow writing on foreign affairs. Harrison sold The New Republic to Martin Peretz in 1974. After selling the magazine, he authored two books, “A Timeless Affair: The Life of Anita McCormick Blaine” and “The Enthusiast: A Life of Thornton Wilder.”