J. R. Simplot

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J. R. “Jack” Simplot
Born(1909-01-09)January 9, 1909
Dubuque, Iowa, United States
DiedMay 25, 2008(2008-05-25) (aged 99)
Boise, Idaho, United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationEighth grade dropout[1]
Known forFounder and chairman emeritus of J. R. Simplot Company, oldest member of the Forbes 400.
SpouseEsther Simplot
ChildrenRichard R. Simplot, born circa 1934/died June 24, 1993
Donald J. Simplot born circa 1936
Gay C. Simplot born circa 1945
Scott R. Simplot born circa 1947
Parent(s)Charles R. and Dorothy Simplot

John Richard “Jack or J.R.” Simplot (January 9, 1909 – May 25, 2008) was the founder of the J. R. Simplot Company, an agricultural supplier specializing in potato products. In 2007 he was estimated to be the 89th-richest person in America, at $3.6 billion. At the time of his death in May 2008, at age 99, he was the oldest billionaire on the Forbes 400.[4]

Early life

Born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1909, he was the third of six children of Charles R. and Dorothy Simplot. A year later, the family relocated to south central Idaho to homestead in the newly irrigated Magic Valley. J.R. quit school in the eighth grade, at age 14, and left home to strike out on his own in 1923. He then worked on a farm near Declo, getting into the potato and other vegetable processing business.[5]

J. R. Simplot Company

By World War II, the J. R. Simplot Company had become the largest shipper of fresh potatoes in the nation.

In 1945, Simplot's Soilbuilder/Grower Solutions organization was formed, and Simplot established a canning and dehydrating quick-freeze plant in which employees tested frozen potato products. The Simplot Company is credited with pioneering the first commercial frozen French fry in the late 1940s. In 1953, Simplot patented the frozen French-fried potato, an invention of his scientists that would later make him billions.

In 1967, Simplot and McDonald's founder Ray Kroc agreed by hand shake that the Simplot Company would provide frozen French fries to the restaurant chain. Previously, McDonald's restaurants had cut potatoes at each location for fresh French fries, but the favored Russet potato was not available for three months in the summer, leading to a quality control problem. Simplot was able to supply frozen Russet potatoes all year long. By 1972, all McDonald's fries were frozen.[6] The frozen fry deal led to expansion of Simplot potato processing plants and construction in 1977 of a new plant at Hermiston, Oregon. By 2005, Simplot supplied more than half of all french fries for the fast food chain. Simplot also produces fertilizers for agriculture.[7]

Simplot retired as president of his company in 1973, but remained as chairman until 1994. He held the title of Chairman Emeritus until his death in 2008. In 2001, Simplot received an honorary degree from Utah State University[8] honoring him for his many contributions to the agricultural industry of America and, particularly, the Intermountain West.

Further enhancing his enormous wealth, J. R. Simplot Company provided startup capital in the early 1980s for the fledgling Micron Technology, a Boise-based manufacturer of computer memory chips. Additionally, he invested heavily in Remington Oil.

In 1961, Simplot financed the Brundage Mountain ski area near McCall, two hours north of Boise. The Simplot Company sold its 50% interest in Brundage in April 2006 to the longtime co-owner, the DeBoer family.

Before his death, Jack Simplot and his wife Esther resided in the Grove Hotel building in downtown Boise, a few blocks from the company's headquarters. The couple donated their signature hilltop home, in Boise's north end, to the state of Idaho in 2005 for use as a governor's mansion. Now known as "The Idaho House", the residence remains unoccupied.

Simplot's first marriage, to Ruby Rosevear of Glenns Ferry, ended in divorce in 1960 after 29 years, when she suddenly left Simplot for another man.

He and his second wife, Esther Becker, a former opera singer, met in the mid 1960s in New York. He was on a business trip and she was working as a receptionist for the Henry Phipps Foundation. They were married in 1972.[9]

Accident

On January 1, 2007, while attending the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, with his wife and son, Simplot fell from a motorized scooter and suffered a hematoma in his head. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where he spent his 98th birthday.[10] Simplot returned to Idaho several days later for further rehabilitation.[11]

Death

Simplot died suddenly at his home on May 25, 2008, with his wife at his side, following a bout of pneumonia from which he appeared to be recovering. His death occurred moments after he had invited a friend to his home to play cards.[12]

He was survived by his wife, two sons, Don and Scott, and his daughter, Gay. His eldest son, Richard (Dick), died in 1993.

Simplot was the former father-in-law of current Idaho governor Butch Otter, a former executive with Simplot. Otter was married to Gay Simplot for 28 years, from 1964 to 1992.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "#89 John Simplot & family". Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  2. ^ "Simplot, J.R. - Celebrity Atheist List". Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  3. ^ "J.R. Simplot, agribusiness giant, dies in Idaho". Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  4. ^ "#80 John Richard Simplot and family". Forbes. 178. 2006-09-21. ISSN 0015-6914. Retrieved 2007-06-30. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Mr. Spud". Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  6. ^ McDonald's: Behind the Arches, pp. 327-332, Love, John F., rev. ed., 1995, New York: Bantam Books
  7. ^ Brandt, Richard (1990-09-03). "J.R. Simplot: Still Hustling, after all these years". Business Week (3176): 60–65. ISSN 0007-7135. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Honorary Degrees from Utah State University,
  9. ^ "Simplot: Farmboy who never went to high school turns potatoes into biggest fortune in Idaho". Idaho Statesman. May 252008. Retrieved 2008-05-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "Idaho's richest citizen will celebrate his 98th birthday from a bed in Phoenix". Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  11. ^ "J.R. Simplot's back in Boise". Retrieved 2007-01-23.
  12. ^ "J.R. Simplot dies at 99, with wife Esther at his side". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 2008-05-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=J._R._Simplot&oldid=263752665"