Leonore Annenberg, patron of arts, philanthropist; at 91

Leonore Annenberg served as US chief of protocol for President Reagan. She joined former presidents Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford aboard an Air Force jet. (1981 file/Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands)

PHILADELPHIA - Leonore Annenberg, who continued the tradition of philanthropy and patronage of the arts begun by her husband, Walter, died yesterday. She was 91.

Mrs. Annenberg died of natural causes at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., family spokeswoman Kathleen Hall Jamieson said.

Mrs. Annenberg was chairwoman of the Annenberg Foundation, based in Radnor, Pa., with a mission "to advance the public well-being through improved communication." She had headed the institution since her husband's death in 2002.

A prominent patron of the fine arts, Mrs. Annenberg was a member of the board of trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a member of the acquisitions committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She also served on the trustees council of The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Her longtime friend Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corp. of New York, described Mrs. Annenberg as "a very classy person with a deep sense of civic commitment and an unparalleled social conscience."

"It is unlikely we will ever know the full extent of the Annenbergs' philanthropy, because they did not seek publicity for their gifts and gave many anonymously," Gregorian wrote in a statement yesterday.

The Annenberg Foundation, which also has offices in Los Angeles, has given nearly 5,600 grants to nonprofit groups totaling nearly $4.2 billion since its creation in 1989, Jamieson said.

Mrs. Annenberg's stepdaughter, Wallis, posted a statement on the family foundation's website expressing deep sadness over her death.

"As my father Walter H. Annenberg would have wished, the Annenberg Foundation will carry our family's commitment to philanthropy into the future," wrote Wallis Annenberg, the foundation's vice president.

Walter Annenberg served as ambassador to Britain under President Nixon. Mrs. Annenberg, who was known to friends as Lee, brought in her own decorator to oversee a million-dollar refurbishment of the US ambassador's residence in London.

A decade later, she was named US chief of protocol, a position that carries the rank of ambassador, during President Reagan's first term. In that job, she oversaw visits from foreign leaders and helped arrange Reagan's state visits abroad. She told The New York Times it was "the first paying job I ever had."

George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, issued a statement of condolence yesterday.

"She and her late husband, Walter, exemplified service to others and were two of God's very special people," Bush wrote.

Mrs. Annenberg was a trustee emeritus at Penn, where she and her husband founded the Annenberg School for Communication in 1958. In 1993, the couple gave Penn its largest gift ever, $120 million, to endow the school and create the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Penn president Amy Gutmann said in an interview yesterday that the Annenbergs' generosity was "all about citizenship, democracy, and this country, which they loved."

She described Mrs. Annenberg as a woman who had "the utmost decorum," yet was also down-to-earth.

"She always had a project, if not a dozen projects, and she had not an idle second in her life," Gutmann said. "And yet she always had time for people and her friends."

The Annenbergs also established a sister School for Communication at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

In addition to leading the Annenberg Foundation, Mrs. Annenberg also headed the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, which focuses on advancing understanding of and appreciation for democracy.

The Annenbergs lived at their Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, but also used the property to host officials, dignitaries, and programs. With Mrs. Annenberg's death, Jamieson said, it will be available for high-level retreats and open to public tours. Sunnylands houses a wide-ranging art collection by artists including Rodin and Picasso.

Walter Annenberg's father started the family publishing empire, eventually acquiring The Philadelphia Inquirer. His son greatly expanded the businesses and branched out into magazines, including Seventeen and TV Guide. He also added radio and television stations.

He sold off his properties in the 1970s and '80s.

A native of New York City and a graduate of Stanford University, Mrs. Annenberg leaves a sister, two daughters, one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.