About Leonore Annenberg
Leonore Cohn Annenberg (February 20, 1918 – March 12, 2009), also known as Lee Annenberg, was an American businesswoman, diplomat, and philanthropist. She was Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1981 to 1982. Annenberg was married to Walter Annenberg, who was an Ambassador to the United Kingdom and newspaper publisher. She was the chairman and president of the Annenberg Foundation from 2002 to 2009. Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, she graduated from Stanford University. After her first two marriages ended in divorce, she married noted businessman Walter Annenberg, who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1969 under President Richard Nixon. In her role as the ambassador's wife, Leonore directed a major renovation of the ambassador's official residence. The Annenbergs contributed to Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign and upon his inauguration, Leonore was named Chief of Protocol, placing her in charge of advising the president, vice president, and Secretary of State on matters relating to diplomatic protocol. The Annenbergs became major philanthropists, donating money to education facilities, charitable causes, and the arts. Leonore Annenberg was on many committees and boards as well. After her husband's death in 2002, she continued to donate money and succeeded him as chairman and president of the Annenberg Foundation. While in London, Leonore founded the American Friends of Covent Garden, an organization designed to foster goodwill between the U.S. and Great Britain through musical expression. In 2001, Annenberg was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. In 1993, she and her husband, Walter, were awarded the National Medal of Arts.
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