Robert J. Collier
Robert J. Collier was an American publisher, the son of the publisher of Collier’s Weekly, which he later ran. He met Condé Montrose NastCondé Montrose NastCondé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) was an American magazine publisher and the founder of Condé Nast Publications. After running advertising for Collier’s Weekly, he bought Vogue in 1909 and went on to publish House & Garden and Vanity Fair, championing the “class publication” aimed at a defined readership; he lost control of his company after the 1929 stock market crash.Open the full entry at Georgetown University and in 1897 brought him to Collier’s. As an early president of the Aero Club of America, he established in 1911 the aviation award later named the Collier Trophy.
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Key facts
Georgetown University and Condé Nast
Collier’s father owned the weekly magazine Collier’s. At Georgetown University he became friends with Condé Montrose Nast, and the two edited the school newspaper and performed at musical events together.[1]
1897Bringing Nast to Collier’s
In 1897 Collier offered Nast a job at his father’s magazine in New York for $12 a week; over the following decade Collier’s circulation grew from about 19,000 to more than 568,000 and its advertising revenue to more than $1 million.[1]
1911Establishing the Collier Trophy
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission states that Robert Collier, publisher of Collier’s Weekly and an early president of the Aero Club of America, established a trophy in 1911 to encourage the American aviation community to strive for excellence in aeronautical development; the National Aeronautic Association later took over the award and named it after him.[2]
He held that the flying machine should be developed unselfishly and rapidly for America’s economic advancement; the National Aeronautic Association credits him as the first person to buy an airplane from the Wright brothers for personal use. He lent his aircraft to the U.S. Army for flight evaluations at Fort Sam Houston, leading to the first military orders for an aircraft. He died in 1918 after serving in World War I.[2]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Condé NastCondé NastCondé Nast is a global media company based in New York whose brands include Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ and Wired. It grew out of the publishing business Condé Montrose Nast built after buying Vogue in 1909, was acquired by Samuel I. Newhouse in 1959 and belongs to Advance, the Newhouse family’s private company. After Roger Lynch stepped down as chief executive in September 2026, lead independent director Mike Perlis became interim CEO.Open the full entry: Official website: https://www.condenast.com/ (opens in a new window).[3]