NEW YORK — Hearst Corp. board Chairman George Randolph Hearst Jr ., the oldest grandson of the media titan William Randolph Hearst, died Monday, the company said. Hearst was 84.
The company said in a statement that Hearst died at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif., due to complications from a stroke.
Hearst was the chairman of a privately held media conglomerate that traces its roots back more than 125 years, when his grandfather took over the San Francisco Examiner . Hearst was a director of the company for more than 50 years, the company said. He succeeded his uncle, Randolph A. Hearst, as board chairman in 1996.
“As chairman of the board, he brought his vast experienceand wisdom to bear during a time of incredible growth and helped guide us through periods of enormous change,” said Frank Bennack Jr., executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of Hearst Corp., in a statement.
Hearst Corp. owns 15 daily newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and San Francisco Chronicle . It also owns a long list of magazines, including Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan , 29 TV stations and shares in several cable networks.
Hearst was also president of The Hearst Foundation and a director of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
Born in San Francisco on July 13, 1927, Hearst is survived by his wife, Susan Hearst; three children; his twin sister; six grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 12 on 06/27/2012