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Harry Conover
Harry Conover
Harry Conover
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Harry Sayles Conover (August 29, 1911 – July 21, 1965), was an American radio performer, model and business executive. He was known for creating the term "Cover Girl".[1][2]

Key Information

Growing up, education

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He was from Chicago, Illinois, and was of Irish descent. His father, Harry S. Conover, was a bigamist who left the family shortly after he was born.[3] Conover's mother, Mary Byrnes Conover, wanted him to become a Roman Catholic priest. Conover said he was not only poor, but also relatively uneducated.[4] Conover went to school at Peekskill Military Academy, further north of New York City, in the lower Hudson River Valley of upstate New York, in Peekskill, New York.

Early career

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He worked a variety of jobs including being a dough mixer in a bakery, being a disc jockey and a necktie salesman.[5] He later became an old time radio soap opera programs performer.[1]

He accompanied a female friend to an interview at the prominent John Robert Powers' modeling agency of New York City for a modeling job. His friend got nervous and Conover did the talking for both of them, landing both of them jobs as models.[6][5] While the Powers agency had a near monopoly on models at that time, Conover eventually worked his way into becoming a competitor, but also a personal friend.[7]

Conover Model Agency

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In 1939, Conover went out on his own and invested $500 into a one-room office which served as the headquarters of his new "Conover Model Agency". A decade later, he had 12 office suites in the same building and was making over $2,000,000 a year.[1]

Conover had unique ideas about modelling, saying that models needed "deglamorized" and preferred his models to have a "natural outdoors" look over a "sophisticated" look.[1] Conover also looked for what he called, "that inner glow".[8]

Conover was credited with inventing and copyrighting the term, "Cover Girl".[1][5] Conover was also credited with launching the careers of actresses Joan Caulfield, Shelley Winters, Nina Fech, Anita Colby, Jinx Falkenburg, Patricia Blair, and Constance Ford.[9] He had also hired models like Joan Bennett Kennedy (future first wife of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts), along with Sandra Dee and C. Z. Guest.[3] His models were said to have a knack for reaching stardom and Conover created names for models which helped attract attention.[3] By 1945, he employed over 200 models, earning $150,000 in commissions.[5]

Conover's modeling agency collapsed two decades later in 1959. He was being sued for withholding money from models and his agency lost its license.[10] Conover then began working for charm schools. Conover later went bankrupt.[9][1]

Personal life

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He married Gloria Dalton in 1940.[11][2] Dalton had modeled for Conover prior to their marriage.[2] Dalton was said to be one of the most glamorous models of the 1940s.[9] The couple later divorced with Dalton accusing him of "extreme mental cruelty".[5] He married again to Candy Jones in 1946 and the couple had then three children together, but they divorced 13 years later in 1959[12][6] At the time of his death, Conover had a total of five children and a grandson.[1]

Conover was said to be best friends with future political leader Gerald R. Ford, who later became the 38th US President. Ford had lent him $1,500 to start his modelling agency back in 1939.[3]

Conover died on July 21, 1965, at Elmhurst City Hospital due to a heart attack. He was 53 years old.[1]

References

[edit]
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Harry Conover

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from Grokipedia
Harry Conover was an American modeling agency founder known for establishing the Conover Model Agency in 1939 and popularizing the term "Cover Girl" to describe his models, who were promoted for their natural, wholesome look on magazine covers. He began his career in the 1930s as a radio performer and fashion model, including time at the John Robert Powers agency, before launching his own business in New York with an initial investment and reportedly an early partnership with fellow model Gerald Ford. Conover's agency emphasized a "well-scrubbed" aesthetic for its talent, which helped shape mid-20th-century ideals of beauty in advertising and fashion. He ran the agency for approximately 20 years before selling it around 1959. He died in 1965. His work influenced the modeling industry by focusing on fresh, approachable images rather than more glamorous styles of the era, and the "Conover Cover Girls" became a widely recognized brand in magazine publishing. Conover was also known personally for his marriage to prominent model Candy Jones, one of his agency's discoveries, though his professional legacy centers on building one of the leading agencies of its time.

Early life

Birth and family background

Harry Sayles Conover was born on August 29, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was the son of Harry Sayles Conover and Mary Claire Byrnes. Conover was of Irish descent. His parents wanted him to become a priest.

Childhood and education

Harry Conover attended Peekskill Military Academy in Peekskill, New York, enrolling at the age of 12. His parents hoped he would enter the priesthood. In his youth, he held various early jobs to support himself, including working as a salesman, a disc jockey, and a performer on radio soap operas. These experiences occurred before his transition into more public-facing roles in media.

Early career

Radio work and entry into modeling

Harry Conover worked as a performer in old-time radio soap opera programs early in his career, where he was known as a soap opera hero. He also held jobs as a salesman and disc jockey during this period. His entry into modeling occurred when he accompanied a nervous female friend to an interview at the John Robert Powers Modeling Agency in New York City. When his friend became too nervous to speak, Conover did the talking for both of them, and both were subsequently hired as models. Conover then became a model himself at the John Robert Powers agency. He later emerged as a competitor to Powers while maintaining a personal friendship with him.

Conover Model Agency

Founding and expansion

In 1939, Harry Conover founded the Conover Model Agency in New York City with an initial investment of $500 in a one-room office. To support the launch, Gerald R. Ford, a friend who later became U.S. President, provided a $1,500 loan that same year. The agency grew rapidly during the 1940s, expanding to occupy 12 office suites by the mid-1940s. By 1945, it represented over 200 models and earned $150,000 in commissions. Within a decade of its founding, the agency reportedly generated annual revenue exceeding $2,000,000. The Conover Model Agency continued operations until 1959, when New York City denied renewal of its employment agency license after examining the agency's books and receiving complaints, including from parents of child models, about unpaid fees owed to models; this led to the closure of the business.

Business philosophy and model promotion

Harry Conover's business philosophy emphasized promoting models with a deglamorized, natural, and outdoorsy appearance that highlighted an "inner glow" and the archetype of the "well-scrubbed American girl." He contrasted this approach with more artificial glamour, favoring fresh-faced, healthy-looking women who embodied approachable American appeal. In 1941, Conover stated that "Over 75 percent of our appointments today are made for the well-scrubbed American girl business. This is the type that is in demand," reflecting the market preference for this natural aesthetic at the time. He opposed "skinny" or "matchstick" fashions prevalent in some modeling circles and encouraged his models to eat freely to maintain robust, natural figures rather than extreme thinness. Conover believed that a model's success hinged primarily on intelligence and personality, stating that 65% depended on intelligence while 35% relied on face, figure, and rhythm. He also created attention-attracting names for models to enhance their marketability and stressed the importance of rhythm and sense of timing, observing that good dancers often excelled in modeling due to their innate poise and movement.

Notable models and industry impact

The Conover Model Agency became renowned for representing models who frequently transitioned from fashion to prominent careers in acting, television, and public life. Its emphasis on promoting individual personalities, distinctive names, and a natural "well-scrubbed American girl" look contributed significantly to this trend, positioning modeling as a stepping stone to broader stardom. Notable models whose careers were launched or advanced by the agency included Joan Caulfield, Jinx Falkenburg, Anita Colby, Constance Ford, and Sandra Dee, among others who achieved success in Hollywood and beyond. Joan Caulfield secured top fashion assignments through the agency, including a Life magazine cover in 1942, before becoming a film and television actress known for her demure roles. Jinx Falkenburg, Anita Colby, and Constance Ford similarly moved into acting careers after their time with Conover. Sandra Dee was discovered by Harry Conover at age 10 while modeling for her Girl Scout troop, quickly rising to become a leading child model in New York before signing with Universal Studios and becoming a major teen star in films during the late 1950s and 1960s. The agency's role in nurturing such transitions underscored its influence on the modeling industry, demonstrating how strategic promotion of natural appeal and intelligence could propel models toward lasting fame in entertainment and society.

Innovations in modeling

The "Cover Girl" branding

Harry Conover popularized the phrase "Conover Cover Girl" (often shortened to "Cover Girl") to promote his agency's models as ideal for magazine covers and high-profile advertisements. His agency's success in placing models on magazine covers helped associate the term with top-tier talent during the mid-20th century.

Advocacy for natural appearance

Harry Conover advocated for a natural, healthy appearance in modeling, favoring a "well-scrubbed" look over artificial glamour. He emphasized models with genuine personality and vitality, akin to everyday people rather than contrived sophistication. In the 1940s, he criticized fashion trends promoting extreme thinness, encouraging models to maintain healthy figures and eat well, particularly noting post-war preferences for more rounded, natural looks. He stressed that authentic beauty is best observed in ordinary settings and everyday clothes, rather than staged runway presentations.

Film and television work

Credits and roles

Harry Conover's credits in film and television were limited and largely tied to his identity as head of the Conover Model Agency. He received credit as technical adviser on the 1944 musical film Cover Girl. He appeared in an acting role in the 1948 short film Appointment with Baby, portraying the Head of Conover Model Agency. Conover also made a single on-camera appearance as himself in a 1956 episode of the television interview series Person to Person.

Personal life

Marriages and family

Harry Conover was married twice, both to models who had been associated with his agency. His first marriage was to Gloria Dalton in 1940. The couple had two daughters, Carole Ann Conover and Christine Raven Conover. This marriage ended in divorce in Reno, Nevada, in 1946. Later that year, on July 4, 1946, Conover married model Candy Jones (born Jessica Wilcox) at Centenary United Church in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They had three sons: Carey Conover, Christian Conover, and Harry Conover. In total, Conover had five children from his two marriages.

Friendships

Harry Conover developed a friendship with Gerald R. Ford during their time working as models at the John Robert Powers agency in New York. In 1939, Ford invested $1,000 in Conover's new modeling venture after being persuaded by Phyllis Brown, becoming a co-owner of the Conover Model Agency. The two continued modeling together through the agency until 1941. Ford later served as the 38th President of the United States.

Later years and death

Agency decline and closure

In 1959, the Harry Conover Modeling Agency, previously renowned for its success in promoting "Cover Girls," faced rapid decline due to mounting financial troubles and legal challenges over unpaid earnings to models. The New York City License Commissioner Bernard J. O'Connell refused to renew the agency's operating license in May 1959 after investigating its books and records, citing persistent non-payment of modeling fees to models as the primary reason. This decision severely restricted the agency's ability to operate legally. Complaints escalated into court proceedings in Lower Manhattan Court, where angry parents accompanied their child models to protest the agency's failure to remit fees earned from posing assignments. Multiple cases were continued or summonses issued for additional complainants, with one notable instance involving a 17-year-old model who received a partial payment of $1,338.12 but was still owed $862, which the magistrate ordered paid by June 29, 1959. By June, hearings addressed fifty-six summonses related to similar non-payment allegations, further compounding the agency's difficulties. The legal pressure continued into July, when a warrant was issued for Harry Conover's arrest after he failed to appear in court to answer a summons tied to these ongoing disputes. Amid the accumulating lawsuits for withholding money from models and the loss of its license, the agency ceased operations in 1959.

Final years and death

Harry Conover died of a heart attack on July 21, 1965, in New York City at the age of 53. Following the closure of his modeling agency in 1959, his final years were spent away from the public eye in New York City until his sudden death.
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