Oliver Ormerod Jensen

Oliver Ormerod Jensen, an editor and writer, was born on 16 April 1914 in Ithaca, New York, the son of Dorothea Hilton Ormerod and Gerard Edward Jensen. He married Alison Pfeiffer Hargrove on 21 February 1970; stepchildren include Christopher, Stephen and Penelope. Jensen earned a B. A. degree from Yale University in 1936. After graduation, he worked for the J. Walter Thompson Company, and from 1938-39 he was assistant managing editor of Judge magazine. From 1939-40 he worked for Benton & Bowles; from 1940-41, Jensen was a writer for Life magazine, and from 1946-1950, he was an articles editor. In 1950 he founded Thorndike, Jensen & Parton, Inc. (publishers), and in 1954, he was a founder of American Heritage magazine, where he worked as managing editor from 1954-59, and as editor from 1959-76, and as senior editor from 1976-1986. He was also president of the Connecticut Valley Railroad Company. Jensen wrote several books including The U.S. Navy, an Illustrated History, 1977, Bruce Catton's America, 1979, and Connecticut Railroads, 1986.

Jensen served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He served for many years as a trustee of the Connecticut Historical Society. He is a member of the Acorn Club of Hartford.