Iselin, John Jay

John Jay Iselin, descendent of the Supreme Court Justice John Jay, was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1933. He left South Carolina to pursue his education at Harvard, where he received both his Bachelor's Degree. He received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship which funded his course of study at Cambridge, where he received his Master's Degree before returning to Harvard to pursue his PhD in government, which he received in 1964.

After graduation he worked as a journalist for publications including Newsweek before shifting his focus onto the production side of writing as an editor with Harper & Row in 1970. He only held his editorial position at Harper & Row for two years; in 1972 he took the helm of New York's public television station, WNET/Channel 13 and remained president of the station for 16 years. Under his leadership, WNET produced shows such as Great Performances, Nature and Newshour as well as a number of documentaries and miniseries.

Iselin left the station in 1988 when he was appointed the tenth president of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. His presidency there was marked with great growth in the Cooper Union endowment and in particular a huge capital campaign that helped build and update the institutions facilities and lab spaces. He also oversaw the creation of new endowed professorships. After twelve years at the Cooper Union, Iselin left the university to take on the presidency of the Marconi International Fellowship Foundation at Columbia University which promotes work and scholarship in the field of telecommunications, merging his own background in both the academy and in broadcasting.

John Jay Iselin died in 2008 at the age of 74.

From the description of John Jay Iselin papers, 1983-1995. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 759477988

BIOGHIST REQUIRED John Jay Iselin, descendent of the Supreme Court Justice John Jay, was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1933. He left South Carolina to pursue his education at Harvard, where he received both his Bachelor's Degree. He received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship which funded his course of study at Cambridge, where he received his Master's Degree before returning to Harvard to pursue his PhD in government, which he received in 1964.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED After graduation he worked as a journalist for publications including Newsweek before shifting his focus onto the production side of writing as an editor with Harper & Row in 1970. He only held his editorial position at Harper & Row for two years; in 1972 he took the helm of New York's public television station, WNET/Channel 13 and remained president of the station for 16 years. Under his leadership, WNET produced shows such as Great Performances, Nature and Newshour as well as a number of documentaries and miniseries.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED Iselin left the station in 1988 when he was appointed the tenth president of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. His presidency there was marked with great growth in the Cooper Union endowment and in particular a huge capital campaign that helped build and update the institutions facilities and lab spaces. He also oversaw the creation of new endowed professorships. After twelve years at the Cooper Union, Iselin left the university to take on the presidency of the Marconi International Fellowship Foundation at Columbia University which promotes work and scholarship in the field of telecommunications, merging his own background in both the academy and in broadcasting.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED John Jay Iselin died in 2008 at the age of 74.

From the guide to the John Jay Iselin papers, 1983-1995, (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library)