Monday, February 22, 2010
First Women Corporate Directors
While Patricia Roberts Harris is recognized as the first women (in the modern era) to be named to a public company board of directors (IBM-1971), I have learned more recently of two other outstanding women directors. See: the
Virtual Chase.
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans
(1872-1953)
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans served as chairwomen of the board of the Whitehead Holding Co., as well as head of other financial interests. She was a savvy business woman in the soft drink industry and was the first woman to serve as a director of a major American corporation when she was appointed in 1934 to the board of Coca Cola Co. where she served until 1953. (Source: Georgia Tech Alumni Association).
She married Joseph Brown Whitehead, an attorney, in 1895. Whitehead was instrumental in gaining exclusive rights to bottle Coca Cola nationwide. When he died in 1906, she took over the family business (the Whitehead Holding Company) and real estate interests (the Whitehead Realty Company).
Coca Cola confirmed that she served on their board from 1934 to 1953, but her information has yet to be included on the History portion of their web site.
Ms. Evans established a scholarship grant program through the Lettie Pace Whitehead Foundation and the Lettie Pace Evans Foundation to support charitable organizations.
Marjorie Merriweather Post
(1887 – 1973)
Marjorie Merriweather Post inherited family wealth and the Postum Cereal Company from her father, Charles William Post, the inventor of Postum (the coffee substitute), Post Toasties, and Grape-Nuts.
As she was an only child, her father taught her everything about his business. When he died in 1914, she inherited everything and became the company president. She married E.F. Hutton, the Wall Street broker/financier, in 1920. They transformed Postum Cereal Company Ltd. through aggressive acquisitions and took the company public in 1922. Hutton took over as president in 1923. The company became The General Foods Corporation in 1929.
In 1935, Marjorie Post divorced Hutton and married Joseph E. Davies, the American ambassador to the Soviet Union. In 1936, she became a director of The General Foods Corporation.
During their marriage and travels to Russia, she collected extensive works of art which later would be housed in Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, established in 1955, as the premier collection of Russian imperial art outside of Russia.
They divorced in 1955 and, in 1958, she married Herbert A. May Jr., heir to the May Department Stores.
The Kraft Foods Corporation web site has no mention of Marjorie Post or her outstanding role in their history.
Biography of Marjorie Merriweather Post by Kenneth Lisenbee
See: http://www.paulbowles.org/marjoriemerriweatherpost.html
Virtual Chase.
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans
(1872-1953)
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans served as chairwomen of the board of the Whitehead Holding Co., as well as head of other financial interests. She was a savvy business woman in the soft drink industry and was the first woman to serve as a director of a major American corporation when she was appointed in 1934 to the board of Coca Cola Co. where she served until 1953. (Source: Georgia Tech Alumni Association).
She married Joseph Brown Whitehead, an attorney, in 1895. Whitehead was instrumental in gaining exclusive rights to bottle Coca Cola nationwide. When he died in 1906, she took over the family business (the Whitehead Holding Company) and real estate interests (the Whitehead Realty Company).
Coca Cola confirmed that she served on their board from 1934 to 1953, but her information has yet to be included on the History portion of their web site.
Ms. Evans established a scholarship grant program through the Lettie Pace Whitehead Foundation and the Lettie Pace Evans Foundation to support charitable organizations.
Marjorie Merriweather Post
(1887 – 1973)
Marjorie Merriweather Post inherited family wealth and the Postum Cereal Company from her father, Charles William Post, the inventor of Postum (the coffee substitute), Post Toasties, and Grape-Nuts.
As she was an only child, her father taught her everything about his business. When he died in 1914, she inherited everything and became the company president. She married E.F. Hutton, the Wall Street broker/financier, in 1920. They transformed Postum Cereal Company Ltd. through aggressive acquisitions and took the company public in 1922. Hutton took over as president in 1923. The company became The General Foods Corporation in 1929.
In 1935, Marjorie Post divorced Hutton and married Joseph E. Davies, the American ambassador to the Soviet Union. In 1936, she became a director of The General Foods Corporation.
During their marriage and travels to Russia, she collected extensive works of art which later would be housed in Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, established in 1955, as the premier collection of Russian imperial art outside of Russia.
They divorced in 1955 and, in 1958, she married Herbert A. May Jr., heir to the May Department Stores.
The Kraft Foods Corporation web site has no mention of Marjorie Post or her outstanding role in their history.
Biography of Marjorie Merriweather Post by Kenneth Lisenbee
See: http://www.paulbowles.org/marjoriemerriweatherpost.html
# posted by ChampionBoards.com @ 6:44 PM 
