Donald Welsh

This article is about the magazine publisher. For the English footballer, born 1911, see Don Welsh.

Donald Welsh
Born	Donald Emory Welsh October 6, 1943 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Died	February 6, 2010(2010-02-06) (aged 66) Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Alma mater	Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Columbia College
Occupation(s)	publisher, editor
Employer(s)	Fortune Rolling Stone Outside Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel

Donald Emory Welsh (October 6, 1943 – February 6, 2010) was a magazine publisher and editor.[1]

Early life

Welsh was born in Youngstown, Ohio.[1] His parents were Clevelle and Edward Welsh.[1]

Welsh studied at Columbia College.[2] While there, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall.[2] He then attended the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.[1]

Career

After being admitted to the Ohio bar, he worked for the Cleveland Trust Company.[1] He soon moved on to the magazine business, starting at Fortune in the advertising department.[1] From there, he moved to Rolling Stone, rising to the position of associate publisher.[1] He went on to be the founding editor of Outside.[2]

Welsh left Outside to run the magazine division of another business group, where he focused largely on children's magazines.[1] He created more than twenty magazines, based on well-known franchises such as Looney Tunes, Mickey Mouse, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the Muppets.[2][1][3][4] He bought the division in 1987, and named it Welsh Publishing Group.[1] He sold Welsh Publishing Group to Marvel Comics in October 1994, but agreed to stay on with the company.[3]

In 1998, He co-founded Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel with Arthur Frommer.[2][1] it sold some 70,000 copies of each issue in newsstand headed toward a circulation of 400,000 by the end of 1999, but struggled to expand its presence.[5] It was sold to Newsweek in 1999.[5] In 2002, he created Budget Living magazine to critical acclaim, but not commercial success.[2] However, it won the general excellence award from the American Society of Magazine Editors.[1]

He also created the magazine ForbesLife MountainTime with Forbes.[1]

Personal life

In 1996, Welsh married Bourne Floyd.[1] They lived in Boston Corner, New York.[2] They had a daughter named Leah.[1]

Welsh died of drowning, in an accident in Tortola, the British Virgin Islands at the age of 66.[1][2]

References

1. Clifford, Stephanie (February 18, 2010). "Donald E. Welsh, a Creator of Magazines, Dies at 66". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
2. "Brethren in the News" (PDF). The Review. St. Anthony Hall: 10. Spring 2010.
3. "Marvel Adds Welsh Comics". New York Times. October 19, 1994. p. D20. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
4. "Looney Tunes Magazine Issue 10 (Welsh Publishing Group) Comic Book Value and Price Guide". Comic Book Realm. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
5. Kerwin, Ann Marie. 2000. “`Budget Travel’ Moves into Newsweek’s Domain.” Advertising Age 71 (1): 4. via EBSCO, accessed June 11, 2022. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=2641288&site=eds-live&scope=site .