Elisabeth Luce Moore 1924

Alumnae Achievement Awards 1970

Public Servant

Elisabeth Luce Moore, an active member of many philanthropic and educational organizations, was born in China to missionary parents. Soon after graduating from Wellesley in 1924, she served as an editor at Time and Fortune magazines. Her brother, Henry Luce, was the cofounder and editor-in-chief of Time magazine. She served as a trustee of Wellesley College from 1948-1966, and she was named by Governor Nelson Rockefeller as the first woman to serve a board chairman of the State University of New York.

Moore served on the boards of numerous institutions and foundations, including the Henry Luce Foundation, of which she was the founding director for sixty-three years; the Institute of International Education; the National Board of the YWCA; and the China Institute in America. Moore has been awarded the Order of the Brilliant Star from the Republic of China, the Elizabeth Blackwell medal from Hobart & William Smith Colleges, and a medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences. She also holds honorary degrees from several colleges and universities.

Moore is recognized as a leader of women and a supporter of higher education in China. Through the Luce Foundation and the Institute of International Education, she promoted women’s leadership in Asia and was committed to bettering the world through international education. Elizabeth Luce Moore died at the age of 98 in 2002.