Melville Bell Grosvenor | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 26, 1901 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 1982 (aged 80) |
| Alma mater | U.S. Naval Academy |
| Spouses | Helen Rowland (m. 1924)Anne Revis (after 1950) |
| Children | Gilbert Melville Grosvenor Alexander G.B. Grosvenor Edwin S. Grosvenor |
| Parent(s) | Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor Elsie May Bell |
| Relatives | Alexander Graham Bell (grandfather) Mabel Gardiner Hubbard (grandmother) |
Melville Bell Grosvenor (November 26, 1901 – April 22, 1982) was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of The National Geographic Magazine from 1957 to 1967. He was the grandson of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell.
A photography enthusiast, he increased the size of printed photographs in the magazine, and initiated the practice, that continues to this day, of opening articles with a two-page photo feature. He reduced the name of the publication from The National Geographic Magazine to National Geographic. Under Grosvenor's tenure, National Geographic also began to branch out from land expeditions to cover investigations into space and the deep sea.
Grosvenor expanded the scope of the society's operations, branching into the production of documentaries bearing the National Geographic name, which began airing on television. Four of these were produced per year. Among the features produced during Grosvenor's presidency were documentaries covering the first American expedition to Mount Everest and Jacques Cousteau's underwater exploits.