Forbes, Steve (1947-…), is a newspaper and magazine publisher. He campaigned for the Republican nomination for United States president in the 2000 election, but he dropped out of the race in early 2000 because of lack of voter support in primary elections. He had previously campaigned for the 1996 nomination but had failed to win it. Forbes is known for supporting a flat tax, which would eliminate the country’s graduated income tax and require everyone to pay a flat percentage of income in taxes.
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Jr., was born in Morristown, New Jersey, on July 18, 1947. He graduated from Princeton University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in American history. While he was in college, he founded Business Today, a quarterly business magazine. In 1971, he started as a researcher at Forbes, the business magazine founded by his grandfather B.C. Forbes and owned by his family. He began writing a column for the magazine in 1973 and also worked in various departments to learn the business.
In 1980, Forbes was named president and chief operating officer of Forbes Inc., which owns a number of newspapers and magazines. Two years later, he was also named the deputy editor in chief of Forbes magazine. After his father died in 1990, Forbes moved up to the positions of chief executive officer of the company and editor in chief of the magazine. From 1985 to 1993, Forbes also served as the head of the Board for International Broadcasting, which then oversaw Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In 1993, Forbes became the chairman of the board of Empower America, a center for research and study dedicated to conservative principles and ideas. He held that post until 1996.
