Philip Lesly

Lesly_PhilipSCHRANZ LECTURER 1982

Philip Lesly, president of The Philip Lesly Company, Chicago, until his death in 1997, was a leading authority on public relations and a leading practitioner. Before going to college, having attracted attention as organizer and editor of the country’s only daily high school newspaper, he joined the editorial staff of the Chicago Herald and Examiner. Two years later, at eighteen, he was awarded a scholarship to Northwestern University, from which he was graduated magna cum laude and possessor of a Phi Beta Kappa key. Lesly entered professional public relations work immediately after college and two years later became vice-president of one of the country’s larger counseling firms. He has received the Gold Anvil award of the Public Relations Society of America. The Philip Lesly Company now concentrates on counsel and major creative contributions to major clients. It formerly was one of the largest full-service firms, with multiple offices in the United States and abroad. His first book, which was a milestone in the field, was Public Relations: Principles and Procedures. Next he published Public Relations in Action, a volume’s predecessor, quickly became the most widely used volume on the subject throughout the world. His books The People Factor, How We Discommunicate, Overcoming Opposition and Bonanzas and Fool’s Gold have been widely quoted.

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