Author Description

Founded in 1899 by Albert Nelson Marquis, the 1st edition of the publication contained concise biographies of more than 8500 "distinguished Americans." Marquis wrote that the book's objective was to "chronicle the lives of individuals whose achievements & contributions to society make them subjects of widespread reference interest & inquiry." Today, the company publishes over a dozen different series & offers an online database with information on 1.4 million individuals; Who's Who in America contains over 90,000 entries. Originally independent, it was acquired by the conglomerate ITT. Macmillan bought ITT's publishing division in 1985. Reed Publishing bought Marquis & National Register from Macmillan in 1991. News Communications, Inc., which owns The Hill, bought Marquis in 2003.