Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Leadership
  • 20th Century Leaders
  • Other Initiatives
    • Other Initiatives
      • Business & Environment
      • Business History
      • Digital
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Gender
      • Health Care
      • Social Enterprise
  • Faculty & Research
  • Executive Education
  • MBA Experience
  • Leadership Initiative
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Leadership→
  • 20th Century Leaders
    • 20th Century Leaders
    • 20th Century Zeitgeist
    • Charts & Statistics
    →

Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century

 
Request the Data
Filter Results: (88) Arrow Down
Filter Results: (88) Arrow Down Arrow Up
88 Results
Robert S. Abbott
Chicago Defender, 1905–1940
J. Ogden Armour
Armour and Company, 1901–1923
Leo H. Baekeland
Bakelite Corporation, 1909–1939
Bernard M. Baruch
Baruch Brothers, 1903–1916
Edward T. Bedford
Corn Products Refining Company, 1906–1930
Joseph Boyer
Burroughs Adding Machine Company, 1905–1920
Charles F. Brooker
American Brass Company, 1900–1920
Hattie Carnegie
Hattie Carnegie, 1909–1956
James E. Casey
United Parcel Service, 1907–1962
Roy D. Chapin
Hudson Motor Company, 1909–1923
William L. Clayton
Anderson, Clayton and Company, 1904–1940
Ira C. Copley
Western Utility Corporation, 1905–1926
William E. Corey
United States Steel Corporation, 1903–1911
Henry P. Crowell
Quaker Oats Company, 1901–1922
Joseph S. Cullinan
Texaco, 1902–1913
Thomas C. du Pont
DuPont Corporation, 1902–1915
Edward A. Filene
Filene's, 1908–1928
Harvey S. Firestone
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, 1900–1932
Frederick J. Fisher
Fisher Body Company, 1908–1926
Featured Profile
Henry Ford

Ford Motor Company, 1906–1918

Henry Ford
Ford Motor Company, 1906–1918
Alfred C. Fuller
Fuller Brush Company, 1906–1943
Frank E. Gannett
Gannett Company, 1906–1957
Amadeo Peter Giannini
Bank of America, 1904–1936
King C. Gillette
Gillette Company, 1901–1913
William T. Grant
W. T. Grant Company, 1906–1924
Adolphus W. Green
National Biscuit Company, 1905–1917
Daniel Guggenheim
American Smelting and Refining Company, 1900–1919
Otto Haas
Rohm and Haas Company, 1909–1960
Henry J. Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company, 1905–1919
Alonzo B. Hepburn
Chase National Bank, 1904–1911
Alonzo F. Herndon
Atlanta Life Insurance Company, 1905–1927
Milton S. Hershey
Hershey Chocolate Company, 1900–1941
Louis W. Hill
Great Northern Railroad, 1907–1912
Elon H. Hooker
Hooker Chemical Company, 1909–1938
George A. Hughes
Hughes Electric Heating Company, 1908–1940
Eldridge R. Johnson
Victor Talking Machine Company, 1901–1927
Henry B. Joy
Packard Motor Car Company, 1905–1916
Will K. Kellogg
Kellogg Company, 1906–1939
Arthur A. Kent
Atwater Kent Company, 1902–1936
Darwin P. Kingsley
New York Life Insurance Company, 1906–1930
Rose M. Knox
Knox Gelatin Company, 1908–1947
Walter J. Kohler
Kohler Company, 1905–1937
James L. Kraft
Kraft (J. L.) Brothers and Company, 1909–1953
Sebastian S. Kresge
S. S. Kresge Company, 1907–1925
Philip Lehman
Lehman Brothers and Company, 1901–1925
Edmund D. Libbey
Owens Bottle Company, 1903–1925
Louis K. Liggett
United Drug Company, 1904–1943
Arthur D. Little
Arthur D. Little, 1909–1935
Marcus Loew
Loew's, 1906–1927
Henry R. Mallory
Atlantic, Gulf and West Indies Steamship Lines, 1907–1915
Thomas F. Manville
Johns-Manville Corporation, 1901–1924
Charles D. Marshall
McClintic and Marshall Construction Company, 1900–1931
Glenn L. Martin
Glenn L. Martin Company, 1907–1949
Frederick L. Maytag
Maytag Corporation, 1909–1921
Howard H. McClintic
McClintic and Marshall Construction Company, 1900–1931
Cyrus H. McCormick, Jr.
International Harvester Corporation, 1902–1918
William L. Mellon
Gulf Oil Corporation, 1909–1930
Ambrose Monell
International Nickel Corporation, 1902–1917
Charles S. Mott
Weston-Mott Company, 1903–1913
Conde M. Nast
Conde Nast Publications, 1907–1942
Ransom E. Olds
Reo Motor Car Company, 1904–1915
William G. Park
Crucible Steel Company, 1900–1909
George S. Parker
Parker Brothers, 1901–1933
Rufus L. Patterson
American Machine and Foundry Company, 1900–1941
James C. Penney
JCPenney Company, 1907–1958
Abe Plough
Plough, 1908–1971
William C. Procter
Procter & Gamble Company, 1907–1930
John F. Queeny
Monsanto Chemical Company, 1901–1928
Earl H. Richardson
Hotpoint Electric Heating Company, 1904–1918
Charles Ringling
Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, 1907–1926
John D. Ryan
Anaconda Copper Company, 1907–1917
Samuel Sachs
Goldman, Sachs and Company, 1904–1928
Charles M. Schwab
Bethlehem Steel Corporation, 1904–1916
Frank A. Seiberling
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 1906–1921
Lee Shubert
Shubert Theater Corporation, 1905–1953
Ellsworth M. Statler
Statler Hotels, 1907–1928
Edward R. Stettinius
Diamond Match Company, 1909–1915
Elbridge A. Stuart
Carnation Company, 1901–1932
Louis F. Swift
Swift and Company, 1903–1931
John T. Underwood
Underwood Typewriter Company, 1903–1927
Frederick D. Underwood
Erie Railroad, 1901–1926
Theodore N. Vail
American Telephone and Telegraph, 1907–1919
Frank A. Vanderlip
National City Bank, 1909–1919
Charles R. Walgreen
Walgreen Company, 1909–1939
Maggie L. Walker
St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, 1903–1930
Madam C. J. Walker
Walker Manufacturing Company, 1906–1919
James C. Wallace
American Ship Building Company, 1904–1913
Clarence M. Woolley
American Radiator Company, 1902–1924
Load More

Growing population; vast market expansion; minimal labor impact; initial government intervention but strong big-business power

Demographics
Influence: High

8.8 million immigrants arrive throughout decade

Cities expand

Population grows from 76 to 92 million

Rural Free Delivery routes added

Full Century

Technology
Influence: Medium-High

Model T

Plastic

Safety razor

Widespread use of steam engine, electricity, and openhearth furnace allows businesses to expand nationwide

Full Century

Social Mores
Influence: Medium

Progressivism

The Jungle sparks food and work safety movement

Full Century

Government Intervention
Influence: Medium-Low

First significant enforcement of Sherman Antitrust Act

Pure Food and Drug Act; breakup of beef trust

Excise Tax imposed on corporations

Tariff Act forces corporations to open their books for government inspection

Full Century

Labor
Influence: Medium-Low

Fewer than 500,000 union members

Department of Commerce and Labor created

Full Century

Global Events
Influence: Low

U.S. begins construction of Panama Canal

Full Century

View Full Century

the 20th Century Zeitgeist

Demographics
  • Demographics
  • Technology
  • Social Mores
  • Government Intervention
  • Labor
  • Global Events
Influence: High
190019

8.8 million immigrants arrive throughout decade

Cities expand

Population grows from 76 to 92 million

Rural Free Delivery routes added

Influence: Medium
10191019

Anti-immigration sentiment peaks during WWI

Great Migration begins as African-Americans relocate from rural South to northern cities

Influence: Medium-High
20192019

Population of urban centers overtakes that of rural communities

Tight immigration restrictions

Increase in divorce rates

Influence: Medium-Low
30193019

Westward migration of midwestern farmers and laborers for employment and better climate

Massive dust storms uproot millions

Smallest ten-year increase in population: 123-132 million

Influence: Medium-High
40194019

Baby boom begins

Suburbs start to form

Influence: High
50195019

Medical advances extend life expectancy

More people now live in suburbs than cities

Population soars to 179 million

largest ten-year increase

Influence: High
60196019

Baby boom tapers off

Emigration from Asia and Latin America surges

Influence: Medium-High
70197019

Urban blight

Rust Belt

Influence: Medium-High
80198019

Population migrates to West and Southwest

Influence: High
901990

Immigration tops 9 million (largest number since first decade)

Baby boomers age

Hispanics become fastest-growing minority

Population grows from 250 million to 281 million

Influence: Medium-High
190019

Model T

Plastic

Safety razor

Widespread use of steam engine, electricity, and openhearth furnace allows businesses to expand nationwide

Influence: Medium
10191019

First widespread use of auto assembly line

Self-starter increases popularity of automobile

Influence: Medium-High
20192019

KDKA, first radio station

First talking movie,

Influence: Medium
30193019

Advances in aviation

Nylon

Fiberglass

Instant photography

Air-conditioning begins to realize commercial potential

Influence: High
40194019

Planes and ships built in less than a day for the war effort

Atomic bomb

ENIAC computer

Penicillin used extensively to treat soldiers' infections

Synthetic rubberx

Influence: High
50195019

Television sales expand dramatically

Transistors used in portable radios and calculators

Influence: Medium-High
60196019

Man walks on the moon

Color TV market grows

Microchips expand possibilities in electronics industry

Integrated circuit boards replace transistor technology

First ATM installed

Influence: Medium
70197019

Beginning of biotech industry

Fiber-optic wire

Pong (first video game)

UPC bar code

Supercomputer

Influence: Medium-Low
80198019

Software industry booms

PC use expands in scale and scope

CAD/CAM revolutionizes manufacturing

Space shuttle

Influence: Medium-High
901990

Boom in connectivity

Cloning, stem cell research

DVDs

Influence: Medium
190019

Progressivism

The Jungle sparks food and work safety movement

Influence: Low
10191019

Sedition Act

Prohibition begins

Red Scare

Race riots

Influence: Medium-High
20192019

Social divisions arise between rural and urban areas

Women's suffrage

Harlem Renaissance

Rampant bootlegging and organized crime

Influence: Medium
30193019

Escapism in radio serials

Prohibition repealed

Golden age of movies

Influence: Medium-Low
40194019

Patriotism soars

GI Bill

Influence: Medium-Low
50195019

Social conformity

McCarthyism

Membership in organized religion soars

Brown v. Board of Education desegregated public schools>

Influence: Medium-High
60196019

Civil rights movement gain strength

Antiwar sentiment divides electorate

FDA approves oral contraceptive pill

Influence: High
70197019

National Organization for Women mobilizes for Equal Rights Amendment

Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion

Social discord continues over Vietnam War and civil rights

Watergate scandal undermines faith in authority

Influence: Medium-Low
80198019

Moral Majority

"Me" generation

Focus on training and fitness

Income gap widens dramatically

AIDS

Influence: High
901990

Internet "irrational exuberance"

Antigovernment sentiment: Waco standoff; Oklahoma City bombing

Influence: Medium-Low
190019

First significant enforcement of Sherman Antitrust Act

Pure Food and Drug Act; breakup of beef trust

Excise Tax imposed on corporations

Tariff Act forces corporations to open their books for government inspection

Influence: High
10191019

Breakup of Standard Oil and American Tobacco

Clayton Antitrust Act

Federal Reserve Act

First Federal-Aid Highway Act

Federal Trade Commission established

Personal income tax reinstituted

Influence: Low
20192019

U.S. Steel and Alcoa withstand antitrust accusations

Personal and corporate tax rates cut

Airmail service starts

Influence: High
30193019

The New Deal

Commercial and investment banking separated

Reconstruction Finance Corp. created to combat bank and business failures

Introduction of Federal Deposit Insurance

SEC established

Federal regulations prohibit false advertising

Influence: Low
40194019

Military spending explodes

Graduated income tax, Victory Tax adopted to fund war effort

Rationing

Influence: Medium-Low
50195019

Military spending shifts to nuclear deterrents

Small Business Administration created

Influence: Medium
60196019

Great Society

Consumer and environmental protection movements strengthen

Vehicle Safety Act and Highway Safety Act

Closing merger loophole opens door for conglomerate business model

Influence: Medium-High
70197019

Deregulation of oil and airline industries

New energy policies and programs

Stagflation cripples economy

Environmental protection weakened

Price controls

Influence: Low
80198019

Reaganomics

Heavy defense and deficit spending

Savings and Loan bailout

Chrysler bailout

Breakup of AT&T

Influence: Medium-Low
901990

Family and Medical Leave Act

Americans with Disabilities Act

Welfare reform

Antitrust action initiated against Microsoft

Influence: Medium-Low
190019

Fewer than 500,000 union members

Department of Commerce and Labor created

Influence: Medium
10191019

Ford doubles factory wages and shortens workday

Labor Secretary position created

Worker shortage: Unions double membership and increase wages

Influence: Medium-Low
20192019

Union membership declines sharply

Minimum wage and maximum working hour legislation overturned

Influence: High
30193019

Unemployment peaks at 25%

Unions surge, adding 7 million members in a single year

Sit-down strikes at GM and other auto makers

Government work programs launched: CCC, PWA, WPA

CIO union created

NLRB created

Fair Labor Standards Act sets minimum wage

Influence: Low
40194019

Rosie the Riveter

Postwar strikes

Productivity surge

Government backlash against postwar union movement

Influence: Medium
50195019

The Organization Man

Union membership peaks

The AFL merges with the CIO: 15 million members

Influence: Medium-High
60196019

Factory automation slashes jobs

Service industry outpaces growth in manufacturing

Civil Rights Act

Equal Pay Act

Unions concentrated in big businesses

Formation of United Farm Workers union

Influence: Medium
70197019

Wage controls

OSHA created

Service economy expands

Women enter the workforce in large numbers

Influence: Medium-Low
80198019

Air traffic controllers' union dismantled

Union representation drops

Information technology redistributes job functions

Influence: Low
901990

Reengineering

Record high employment

Service sector outpaces manufacturing in new job creation

Influence: Low
190019

U.S. begins construction of Panama Canal

Influence: High
10191019

War Industries Board coordinates activities among labor, government, and business for WWI

Cost-plus contracts introduced

Protectionist tariffs reduced

Influence: Medium-Low
20192019

Isolationism

U.S. restores high tariffs

U.S. pushes for debt recovery

Allied nations seek war reparations from Axis powers

Influence: Medium-Low
30193019

Increased tariff protection through Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act

Continued isolationism

Influence: High
40194019

War Production Board readies nation for WWII

U.S. becomes a global power

Creation of IMF and World Bank

Marshall Plan

Cold war begins

Influence: Medium-High
50195019

Cold war escalates

Korean War forces another mobilization effort

Influence: High
60196019

Cold war continues to build

Bay of Pigs invasion; Cuban Missile Crisis

Vietnam War escalates

Influence: Medium-High
70197019

OPEC oil crisis

Vietnam War ends

Iran hostage crisis

Imports outpace exports

Influence: Medium-High
80198019

Berlin wall falls

End of cold war

Iran-Contra Affair

Influence: High
901990

USSR dismantled; ethnic conflicts exposed

Gulf War: real-time TV coverage

Asian financial crisis

NAFTA enacted

European Union forms

ǁ
Campus Map
Leadership Initiative
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
Phone: 1.617.495.6242
Email: li@hbs.edu
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College