L'Express Founder Servan-Schreiber Dies

French politician and magazine publisher Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, then president of the French Parti Radical Socialiste (Radical Party), gestures during a press conference after a party meeting in Paris in this Sept. 9, 1977 file photo. Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, the founder of French news weekly l'Express in 1953, and head of the Radical Party through 1971-1979, died early Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006 in a Fecamp hospital, northwestern France. He was 82. (AP Photo, file) (Stf - AP)

PARIS -- Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, who co-founded the French newsweekly L'Express and encouraged Europe to emulate the United States, has died. He was 82.

Servan-Schreiber, a journalist, essayist and politician, died Tuesday of complications from bronchitis, two days after he was hospitalized in the town of Fecamp in northwest France, his son Edouard said.

President Jacques Chirac expressed his condolences and called Servan-Schreiber "a passionate man full of ideas and action."

"One life wasn't enough to contain his energy, creativity and enthusiasm _ so he forged multiple destinies," Chirac said in a statement, referring Servan-Schreiber's various careers.

After a stint as an international affairs reporter at Le Monde daily, Servan-Schreiber co-founded L'Express with journalist Francoise Giroud. He was only 29.

The publication began as a weekly but soon evolved into a news magazine, propelled early on by its ardent support of France's pullout from its colonies.

Servan-Schreiber was also known during the Cold War for his support of America and a free-market economy. He put John F. Kennedy on the cover of the magazine in the 1950s, long before his election as U.S. president, and he traveled to meet with Kennedy several times while he was in office, his son said.

In 1967, Servan-Schreiber published a popular essay called "The American Challenge," which detailed the mechanisms of an economic power struggle brewing between Europe and the United States.

In it, he outlined a competitive strategy for Europe, highlighting the importance of science and technology in economic growth and arguing for increased cooperation between European countries. Translated into 15 languages, the book sold millions of copies worldwide.

"He was a great lover of America _ a great admirer of America, from the time that he was trained in the U.S. Air Force during World War II," Edouard Servan-Schreiber said.

"His secret to success was to look at what America did, and try to transcribe it for the French," he said.

Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber later made the jump from political observer to politician, serving as head of the center-left Radical Party from 1971 to 1979.

Servan-Schreiber is survived by his wife, Sabine, as well as four children and two grandchildren.