Foer Returns to New Republic as Editor Two months after buying a majority stake in The New Republic, the technology entrepreneur Chris Hughes has lured one of its former stars, Franklin Foer, back to the magazine as its editor. Mr. Foer, 37, left The New Republic two years ago after a successful five-year run as editor. He was widely credited with bringing life and energy to the magazine even in the face of chronic budget cuts. Mr. Foer replaces Richard Just, the current editor of the magazine who took over in 2010. Hiring back Mr. Foer is the first move in what Mr. Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook who is now the publisher and editor in chief of The New Republic, described as an ambitious plan for the 98-year-old journal, which has a prestigious history but much rebuilding to do. The most recent circulation figures show that the magazine has a circulation of 39,314 and only had 20 issues each year. The editorial staff, which currently stands at 15 people, will be doubled to 30, Mr. Hughes said in an interview Thursday. He is courting youngish, rising stars who have been writing for publications like The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. The magazine also plans to open an office in New York. The print magazine and Web site will be redesigned and the page count of the print edition will be expanded, Mr. Hughes said. He added that when he was researching whether to buy the New Republic, he had to read through old editions on microfilm in the archives at the New York Public Library. Mr. Hughes's goal is to guide The New Republic out of the category he called "little magazines" in Washington like The National Review and into a category that includes magazines he sees as more natural competitors, like The New Yorker, the Economist and New York Magazine. "I want everyone from Michael Bloomberg to Zadie Smith to Sheryl Sandberg to read The New Republic," Mr. Hughes said. Mr. Hughes said he is determined to address one of the issues that has always dogged The New Republic: retention. While the magazine is known for attracting young talent, particularly fresh out of the Ivy Leagues, it has also been something of a farm team for high-profile magazines and newspapers. Former top editors include Michael Kinsley, Andrew Sullivan and Hendrik Hertzberg. Many journalists who work at The New Republic often move on to other publications once they begin to make a name for themselves, motivated by offers of more generous salaries and bigger platforms. Mr. Hughes added that he is less concerned about finding stars with social media skills than about finding and keeping talent with strong reporting and storytelling skills. "There are some phenomenal journalists who have come through The New Republic," Mr. Hughes said. Our challenge now is to make sure The New Republic isn't a place where they work for 10 years and then move on. "Our goal is to recruit a lineup of all-stars," Mr. Hughes added. We want to hire great people, and quality costs money. Bringing Mr. Foer back to the magazine is expected to ease the challenge of recruitment. Gregarious and well-connected, Mr. Foer is a lifelong Washingtonian who knows both the city and its political culture. He first joined The New Republic in 2000. As editor, he steered the magazine out of what was seen as a period of backlash against its neoconservative phase. Under Mr. Foer, The New Republic published a string of high-impact articles, including a profile by Ryan Lizza of Senator George Allen of Virginia that was seen as playing a major role in Mr. Allen's political downfall. In an interview last week, Mr. Foer said that until Mr. Hughes approached him two months ago, he had no plans to return to the magazine. Since leaving it in 2010, he has spent much of his time working on book projects in his basement. One book he edited, "Jewish Jocks," a collection of 50 essays on notable Jewish athletes, is slated for publication in November. After two years away from The New Republic, Mr. Foer said he did not even miss it. "I had no thought of returning to edit the magazine," he said. But to me, it feels like a new project. It doesn't feel like I'm going back to my old job. At Mr. Hughes's invitation, the two met this spring at the bar at the Jefferson Hotel in downtown Washington, several blocks north of the White House, where they talked about how the magazine could be re-imagined. Mr. Hughes said he is prepared for the remaking of the magazine to take years, a sign that he views it as a "long-term investment." Making a profit, he said, is not an immediate concern. Mr. Hughes left Facebook in 2007 with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $700 million. Leon Wieseltier, the literary editor of 29 years, called the changes to the magazine "a reversal of fortune." "The wind is at our backs now," Mr. Wieseltier said. We're thinking expansively and we've resolved to grow, to add, to enlarge. This is not just about survival anymore, this is about growth.