Harold McGraw Jr. Dies

On Mar. 24, Harold W. McGraw Jr., former chairman and CEO of McGraw-Hill Inc., died at the age of 92. In 1947, McGraw joined the publishing company founded in 1909 by his grandfather, James, and became president of its book division in 1968. The unit grew rapidly during his tenure, becoming the top U.S. textbook publisher. In 1978, McGraw was named president of the parent company, now known as The McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP). In 1979 he fought off a hostile takeover offer from American Express, (AXP) and in 1980 McGraw-Hill passed $1 billion in annual revenues. The company began publishing in 1929 and sold it to Bloomberg in 2009. McGraw's son Harold W. McGraw III is now CEO. McGraw was an uncommon man with a common touch—and a sense of humor. A few years ago at the annual Christmas gathering of employees who worked at McGraw-Hill for 25 years or more, he greeted them and then said with a smile as he leaned on his cane: "You all look like hell."