Who is Albert Lasker?

Albert Lasker was an American advertising executive, journalist and philanthropist. He lived from 1880 to 1952. He is often called the founder of modern American advertising.

Albert Lasker had ideas such as establishing copy writing departments, producing soap operas to market products and applying advertising principles to presidential campaigns. He grew the Lord and Thomas advertising agency into the largest in the United States. In addition to his advertising work, he was also a philanthropist and took a particular interest in medical causes, raising money for cancer research and establishing the Lasker Awards for Public Health, which helped spur creation of the National Institutes of Health.