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Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century

 
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Filter Results: (101) Arrow Down
Filter Results: (101) Arrow Down Arrow Up
101 Results
Henry C. Alexander
Morgan Guaranty Trust, 1959–1967
Desiderio A. Arnaz
Desilu Productions, 1950–1962
Ian K. Ballantine
Ballantine Books, 1952–1974
William M. Batten
JCPenney Company, 1958–1974
Olive Ann M. Beech
Beech Aircraft Corporation, 1950–1968
Richard A. Bloch
H & R Block, 1955–1978
Charles G. Bluhdorn
Gulf and Western, 1958–1983
Marvin Bower
McKinsey & Company, 1950–1967
Francis Boyer
Smith Kline & French Laboratories, 1951–1958
Herbert P. Buetow
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, 1953–1963
Richard W. Clark
Dick Clark Productions, 1956–2007
Wilton D. Cole
Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, 1956–1963
John T. Connor
Merck & Company, 1955–1964
Ralph J. Cordiner
General Electric Company, 1950–1963
Joseph F. Cullman III
Philip Morris Companies, 1957–1979
Harry B. Cunningham
S. S. Kresge Company/K Mart, 1959–1972
Harlow H. Curtice
General Motors Corporation, 1953–1958
Arthur J. Decio
Skyline Corporation, 1959–1998
Richard M. DeVos
Amway Corporation, 1959–1992
Morse G. Dial
Union Carbide Corporation, 1952–1963
Earl B. Dickerson
Supreme Life Insurance Company of America, 1956–1971
Frederic G. Donner
General Motors Corporation, 1958–1967
Jack M. Eckerd
Eckerd Corporation, 1952–1974
Frank M. Freimann
Magnavox Company, 1950–1967
Robert W. Galvin
Motorola, 1956–1986
Harold S. Geneen
International Telephone and Telegraph, 1959–1977
Jean Paul Getty
Getty Oil Company, 1956–1976
Berry Gordy, Jr.
Motown Records Corporation, 1959–1986
William B. Graham
Baxter International, 1953–1980
Bowman Gray, Jr.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, 1957–1967
Walter A. Haas, Jr.
Levi Strauss and Company, 1958–1976
Patrick E. Haggerty
Texas Instruments, 1958–1976
Armand Hammer
Occidental Oil Company, 1957–1990
Hugh M. Hefner
Playboy Enterprises, 1953–1988
Henry F. Henderson, Jr.
Henderson (H. F.) Industries, 1952–Present
John M. Hiebert
Sterling Drug, 1955–1972
Samuel F. Hinkle
Hershey Foods Corporation, 1956–1965
Herbert W. Hoover, Jr.
Hoover Company, 1954–1966
Michael Ilitch
Little Caesar's Enterprises, 1959–Present
William Irrgang
Lincoln Electric Company, 1954–1986
Robert H. Johnson
Ingersoll-Rand Company, 1955–1966
John E. Jonsson
Texas Instruments, 1951–1958
Ewing M. Kauffman
Marion Laboratories, 1950–1989
John R. Kimberly
Kimberly-Clark Corporation, 1953–1967
John W. Kluge
Metromedia, 1959–1986
Featured Profile
Raymond A. Kroc

McDonald's Corporation, 1955–1973

Raymond A. Kroc
McDonald's Corporation, 1955–1973
Alden J. Laborde
Ocean Drilling & Exploration Company, 1953–1977
Carl H. Lindner, Jr.
American Financial Group, 1958–Present
Ian K. MacGregor
AMAX, 1956–1969
William C. MacInnes
TECO Energy, 1954–1967
Plato Malozemoff
Newmont Mining Corporation, 1954–1986
Morton L. Mandel
Premier Industrial Corporation, 1958–1996
H. Stanley Marcus
Neiman-Marcus Company, 1950–1969
Oscar Gustave Mayer
Oscar Mayer and Company, 1955–1966
John J. McCloy
Chase Manhattan Bank, 1953–1969
John H. McConnell
Worthington Industries, 1955–1993
Dean A. McGee
Kerr-McGee Corporation, 1954–1983
Donald C. McGraw
McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1953–1966
Malcolm P. McLean
Sea-Land Service, 1956–1969
Howard J. Morgens
Procter & Gamble Company, 1957–1974
Charles G. Mortimer
General Foods Corporation, 1954–1965
Walter A. Munns
Smith Kline & French Laboratories, 1958–1967
Fred M. Nelson
Texas Gulf Sulphur Company, 1951–1960
William C. Norris
Control Data Corporation, 1957–1986
Robert N. Noyce
Fairchild Semiconductor, 1957–1968
Donald W. Nyrop
Northwest Airlines, 1954–1978
David M. Ogilvy
Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, 1954–1975
Kenneth H. Olsen
Digital Equipment Corporation, 1957–1992
Guy S. Peppiatt
Federal Mogul Corporation, 1950–1969
Franklin P. Perdue
Perdue Farms, 1953–1988
Wallace R. Persons
Emerson Electric Company, 1954–1973
Generoso P. Pope, Jr.
National Enquirer, 1952–1988
William W. Prince
Armour and Company, 1957–1969
Robert A. Pritzker
Marmon Group, 1953–Present
Donald N. Pritzker
Hyatt Hotels, 1959–1972
Ernesta G. Procope
E. G. Bowman, 1953–Present
Simon Ramo
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, 1953–1958
Lyle C. Roll
Kellogg Company, 1957–1971
Harland Sanders
Kentucky Fried Chicken Company, 1956–1964
Frederic N. Schwartz
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, 1957–1967
Clarence H. Shaver
United States Gypsum, 1951–1966
Elwyn L. Smith
Smith-Corona-Marchant Corporation, 1951–1960
Alfred N. Steele
PepsiCo, 1950–1959
Henry Z. Steinway
Steinway and Sons, 1957–1980
James E. Stowers, Jr.
American Century Companies, 1958–Present
Robert A. Stranahan, Jr.
Champion Spark Plug Company, 1955–1986
Charles D. Tandy
Tandy Corporation, 1950–1978
Charles B. (Tex) Thornton
Litton Industries, 1953–1961
Rose Totino
Totino's Pizza, 1951–1975
E. Gifford Upjohn
Upjohn Company, 1953–1961
Jay Van Andel
Amway Corporation, 1959–1992
Lillian M. Vernon (Katz)
Lillian Vernon Corporation, 1951–Present
Ernest H. Volwiler
Abbott Laboratories, 1950–1958
An Wang
Wang Laboratories, 1951–1981
J. Basil Ward
Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation, 1952–1966
Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
IBM, 1955–1971
C. Kemmons Wilson
Holiday Inns of America, 1951–1979
Henry S. Wingate
International Nickel Corporation, 1954–1960
Paul B. Wishart
Honeywell, 1953–1960
Joseph S. Wright
Zenith Radio Corporation, 1959–1976
Oscar S. Wyatt, Jr.
Coastal Corporation, 1955–1997
Load More

Baby boom; business growth unfettered by regulations; conservative social norms; labor progress; technology commercialization; Korean War; cold war

Demographics
Influence: High

Medical advances extend life expectancy

More people now live in suburbs than cities

Population soars to 179 million

largest ten-year increase

Full Century

Technology
Influence: High

Television sales expand dramatically

Transistors used in portable radios and calculators

Full Century

Social Mores
Influence: Medium-Low

Social conformity

McCarthyism

Membership in organized religion soars

Brown v. Board of Education desegregated public schools>

Full Century

Government Intervention
Influence: Medium-Low

Military spending shifts to nuclear deterrents

Small Business Administration created

Full Century

Labor
Influence: Medium

The Organization Man

Union membership peaks

The AFL merges with the CIO: 15 million members

Full Century

Global Events
Influence: Medium-High

Cold war escalates

Korean War forces another mobilization effort

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

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