Robert E. Wood
Robert Elkington Wood (June 13, 1879 – November 6, 1969) was a U.S. Army Brigadier General and businessman best known for his leadership of Sears, Roebuck and Company.
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[edit] Early life
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1900 as a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry.
[edit] Military career
As an officer in the United States Army, he was stationed in the Philippines participating in field service during the Philippine insurrection. From 1902 to 1903 he was assigned to Fort Assiniboin, Montana and then for three years as an instructor at West Point. In 1905 he became the Assistant Chief Quartermaster and later the Chief Quartermaster and Director of the Panama Railroad Company. He served in the Panama Canal Zone for ten years, during the construction of the canal.
Wood retired in July 1915, by special act of Congress as a Major. Following this retirement he worked as assistant to the vice president of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company and headed operations in the United States, Venezuela, and Trinidad for the General Asphalt Company.[1] He briefly served as Purchasing Agent of the Emergency Fleet Corporation in early 1917.
In 1917, on the eve of America's entry into the First World War he returned to the Army as an Infantry Lieutenant Colonel. He served in Europe with the 42nd (Rainbow) Division and was promoted to Colonel. Toward the end of the war, he was promoted to brigadier general and made acting Quartermaster General of the Army.
[edit] Post military career
After the leaving the army again in 1919, Wood became an executive at Montgomery Ward, eventually becoming a vice-president of the company. In 1924, he left Montgomery Ward to take a position of vice-president of Sears Roebuck. He became one of the most important leaders in that company's history, serving as vice-president from 1928 until 1939 and as chairman from 1939 until 1954. Under his leadership, Sears shifted the focus of its operations from mail-order sales to retail sales at large urban department stores. Wood also created Allstate Insurance as a subsidiary of Sears.[1]
Wood, once again, served as an honorary chairman for Sears from 1968 until shortly before his death in 1969, leaving a good portion of his stocks to family members.
[edit] Political life
Wood was also politically active and was noted as a conservative Republican. In 1940, he helped found the America First Committee to oppose U.S. involvement in the Second World War; he served as the committee's first president on an interim basis. In 1954, Wood funded the creation of the Manion Forum, a conservative radio program hosted by Clarence Manion.
[edit] Decorations and honors
- Distinguished Service Medal (Army), United States
- Knight of the Legion of Honor, France
- Companion Order of St Michael and St George, Great Britain
Bronze busts honoring Wood and seven other industry magnates stand between the Chicago River and the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago, Illinois. General Wood also has a Boys and Girls Club in Chicago named in his honor.
Gen. Wood was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1979.
[edit] References
- ^ Associated Press. "General Wood Clings to Independence of Thought". Youngstown Vindicator. March 10, 1940. (Retrieved via Google News 10/25/10).
[edit] External links
- Robert E. Wood bio at SearsArchives.com
- Robert E. Wood bio at Spartacus International
- "Microsoft and Google Grapple for Supremacy" by Steve Lohr, New York Times; discussion of Wood's role at Sears
