Daniel Edelman, PR Pioneer, Dies at 92
Daniel J. Edelman Image by edelman public relations
By Anne Cohen January 15, 2013
Daniel J. Edelman, founder of the huge public relations that bears his name, has died. He was 92.
Daniel J. Edelman Image by edelman public relations
Edelman, who retired in 1996, passed away from heart failure on Tuesday morning, according to the Chicago Tribune.
A graduate of Columbia College and the Columbia Journalism School, Edelman was a newspaper editor and reporter before being drafted during World War II. He worked in the intelligence division, analyzing German propaganda for the Allies, Ad Week reports.
Edelman worked for as a publicist for Toni, a hair care company now a division of Gillette, when he moved to Chicago and started his own firm in 1952, Ad Week reports. His initial client list included such fledgling companies as Sarah Lee and KFC.
Edelman also contributed to the popularization of celebrity endorsements to sell products and came up with the Butterball Turkey Talk Line in 1981.
The Edelman agency has 66 office offices and 4,500 employees around the world, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Edelman’s son, Richard Edelman, has served as the company’s new president and CEO since his father retired in 1996.
The company honored its founder with a picture on the front page of its website, along with a brief statement that read: “There will never be another Dan Edelman — indomitable, ever modest, always resilient, ready for the next challenge. His story inspires us all.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Dive In
-
Fast Forward Northwestern University defaced by anti-Israel graffiti during passover
-
Fast Forward Eyeing an escape route in the Trump era, these American Jews are moving to Canada
-
Fast Forward US Jewish voting surges in Zionist election, with ballots open through May 4
-
Fast Forward Pro-Israel groups called for Mohsen Mahdawi’s deportation. He was arrested at a citizenship interview.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion My Jewish moms group ousted me because I work for J Street. Is this what communal life has come to?
- 2
Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
- 3
Politics Meet America’s potential first Jewish second family: Josh Shapiro, Lori, and their 4 kids
- 4
Fast Forward How Coke’s Passover recipe sparked an antisemitic conspiracy theory
In Case You Missed It
-
News Who is Alan Garber, the Jewish Harvard president who stood up to Trump over antisemitism?
-
Fast Forward Northwestern University defaced by anti-Israel graffiti during passover
-
Fast Forward Eyeing an escape route in the Trump era, these American Jews are moving to Canada
-
Fast Forward US Jewish voting surges in Zionist election, with ballots open through May 4
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.