Esquire, inc.

Dates

• Existence: 1933 (date of establishment)

Biography

Esquire is an American men's magazine, published by Hearst Corporation in the United States. It was founded in 1933 by Arnold Gingrich, David A. Smart, and Henry L. Jackson. Each of the founders had a different focus: Gingrich specialized in publishing, Smart led the magazine's business operations, and Jackson led and edited the fashion section. Jackson died in 1948, Smart died in 1952 but left Esquire in 1936 to found another men's magazine, Coronet. Gingrich led the magazine until his death in 1976, though Harold Hayes succeeded him as editor in 1961. The magazine was originally headquartered in Chicago but moved to New York City in 1950.

Esquire started in 1933 as a quarterly magazine, and later transformed itself into a more refined periodical with an emphasis on men's fashion. Originally published by Esquire Publishing Co., it has been published by Hearst since 1986. It has gone through numerous iterations. During the 1960s, the magazine was distinctive for its oversize pages and helping pioneer the trend of "New Journalism." It shrank to a standardized 8 1/2 by 11 inches in 1971. In 1977, the magazine was sold to Clay Felker who reinvented it as Esquire Fortnightly. This only lasted a year, after which the magazine ran monthly. David M. Granger has been editor-in-chief of Esquire since June 1997.

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