News organizations and titles: Editor in chief, Time Inc., 1995-present, the first person outside the Time family to be so named; consultant, Selling, 1993; began Friday Holdings, a media investment group, 1992; executive editor, The Wall Street Journal, 1991-92; managing editor, WSJ, 1983-91; editor and publisher, WSJ/Europe, 1982-83; national news editor, WSJ, 1980-82; executive editor, Forbes, 1978-80; managing editor, Asian Wall Street Journal 1976-78; Tokyo bureau chief, WSJ, 1973-76; reporter, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, 1967-73.
Legacy: He oversaw The Wall Street Journal's expansion from one section to three, transformed the paper into a high-profile publication and helped create the WSJ's Asian and European editions. Additionally, this visionary widened the boundaries of business journalism from Wall Street and Main Street to Madison Avenue, Hollywood economics, the legal community and beyond. At Time Inc., he has infused the entire magazine organization with WSJ standards for business journalism.
Journalistic Progeny: John M. Geddes, Steven Swartz, John Koten and John W. Huey Jr.
Personal: Born Oct. 4, 1942, in Philadelphia.
Family: He is married to Nancy Friday, an author.
Education: Haverford College, B.A., 1964; University of Pennsylvania, LLB, 1967.
What he has said about himself: Upon leaving the WSJ, it was "time to explore my interests and new horizons with neither the boundaries nor the security that comes with working for the Journal and Dow Jones."
What he made news or headlines for: Just before leaving the WSJ in 1992, he helped create the personal finance magazine SmartMoney for Dow Jones and Hearst Corp. After ending his long career with the WSJ, he began Friday Holdings, a media investment group aimed at multimedia projects. He also lent his name as a consultant to Selling, a Capital Cities/ABC publication launched in 1993.
What others said about him: John W. Huey Jr., Fortune managing editor, who also worked for Mr. Pearlstine at the Journal: "The single best thing about working for him is he makes you look really smart because he's a fountain of good ideas. Probably the best thing about him is, he's the most stand-up guy I've ever worked for. I mean, when the dogs are after you, he's between you and the dogs, and he's a loyal person. He does it professionally and personally, and I think he has probably the most courage and integrity of any editor I know."
Matthew Winkler, editor in chief, Bloomberg News: "He changed the face of journalism. There are all these people from his era at the Journal who are doing so many different and interesting things."