15 Facts About Laughlin Phillips

Laughlin Phillips, known as Loc Phillips, was an American museum director from Washington, DC The son of wealthy art collectors, he managed The Phillips Collection, a museum founded by his parents.

Laughlin Phillips, nicknamed Loc, was born in Washington, DC, in 1924, the son of Duncan Phillips, an art collector and critic, and Marjorie Acker Phillips, a painter.

Laughlin Phillips had one sibling, Mary Marjorie, born in 1922, who contracted encephalitis at a young age and was institutionalized.

The museum was located in the Phillips' home, a Georgian Revival house in Dupont Circle where Laughlin spent his early childhood.

Laughlin Phillips attended special events and exhibits, including a photography exhibit where his own work was displayed.

Laughlin Phillips was chauffeured each day to St Albans School, an elite private school where he graduated in 1942.

Laughlin Phillips conducted two months of training at Camp Ritchie, Maryland and joined the ranks of the Ritchie Boys for his time there.

Laughlin Phillips was an Army intelligence officer in the Pacific theater and earned a Bronze Star Medal.

Laughlin Phillips began working for the CIA after earning a Master of Philosophy degree.

Around this time Laughlin Phillips married Elizabeth Hood with whom he had two children, Duncan and Liza.

Laughlin Phillips left the CIA and in 1965 co-founded the Washingtonian magazine, a venture with his former college roommate and CIA colleague, Robert J Myers.

Laughlin Phillips's mother was the director of the museum until 1972, when Phillips assumed the role.

Laughlin Phillips oversaw the expansion of the museum's facilities, including a renovation in 1983 and the addition of the Goh Annex in 1989, doubling the museum's space.

Laughlin Phillips retired as museum director in 1992, and for the first time in its history, the museum was managed by someone other than a Phillips family member.

Laughlin Phillips continued serving as the museum's chairman of the board until March 2002.