Gilbert Melville Grosvenor

Who is Gilbert Melville Grosvenor?

Gilbert Melville Grosvenor, born on May 5, 1931, is a past president and chief executive of the National Geographic Society, as well as a former editor of National Geographic Magazine.

Born in Washington, D.C., Grosvenor is the son of Melville Bell Grosvenor and the great-grandson of Alexander Graham Bell. He received his B.A. from Yale University after studying psychology in 1954. He assumed the position of editor of National Geographic Magazine in 1970 after earlier working as a photo editor following his graduation from Yale in 1954. He held his editor's title until 1980 when he became president of the National Geographic Society. Since his retirement as president of the Society in 1996, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Society, as well as an Honorary Director of The Explorers Club. In 1996, Grosvenor was awarded a Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Scottish Geography Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Grosvenor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States, by President George W. Bush on June 23, 2004.