Hedley Williams Donovan was born on May 24, 1914 in Brainerd, Minnesota. He received an A.B. from the University of Minnesota in 1934, and he received a B.A. in 1936 as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University. He was a reporter for the Washington Post from 1937 to 1942. From 1945 to 1951 he was a writer and editor for Fortune magazine in New York City; from 1951 to 1953 he was associate managing editor for Fortune; and from 1953 to 1959 he was managing editor for Fortune magazine. He served as editorial director for Time Inc, 1959 to 1964, and he was editor-in-chief from 1964 to 1979. He also served as director of Time Inc. from 1962 to 1979. From August 1979 to August 1980, Donovan served as Senior Advisor to the President. His role was to provide advice to President Carter based on his lengthy journalistic experience. Following his service in the White House, Donovan was on the faculty at Harvard University, 1980 to 1987. He died on August 13, 1990.
From the description of Donovan, Hedley, 1914-1990 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10568128