Sidney Harman, known for his work in audio equipment, his philanthropy and his activism, died Tuesday night in Washington D.C. He was 92.
Harman died from leukemia complications, his family announced Wednesday.
The stereo making company Harman founded, Harman International Industries (later Harman International), is the parent company of electronic brands like Harmon Kardon and GPS Products. Harmon Kardon was founded in 1953 and launched Harman’s career as an audio pioneer.
Newsweek became a part of the Harman corporate family last year as Harman began to venture into journalism. Harman was an integral part of the Newsweek merger with the Daily Beast in 2010.
Harman was married to former California Representative Jane Harman, 65. The two had been married for 31 years.
Harman was born in 1918 in Montreal. His family moved from Canada to New York when he was young. He grew up in Manhattan.
The Academy for Polymathic Studies at USC was the brainchild of Harman. He also founded a technology, public policy and human development program at Harvard as part of the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Harman’s widow, Jane Harman, recently resigned from her post in Congress to head the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars located in Washington D.C.
See an ATVN exclusive interview from February with Harman about his wife’s resignation.
