W. Alton Jones
William Alton Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 19, 1891 |
| Died | March 1, 1962 (aged 70) |
| Cause of death | airplane crash, American Airlines Flight 1 |
| Employer | Cities Service Company |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Patricia Jones Edgerton |
William Alton Jones (April 19, 1891 – March 1, 1962), was president of the oil and gas conglomerate Cities Service Company (now CITGO). He was an influential industrialist, philanthropist, and close personal friend of United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower.[1]
Biography
He was born into a poor Missouri farm family of seven in 1891. In 1920 he became an executive with the energy company Cities Service Company, serving as president from 1940 to 1953. He rose to become one of the highest paid CEOs in the United States.[1] During World War II, he became a hero of war production by building a secret dynamite production plant in Arkansas, an aviation fuel refinery in Louisiana, and over 3,000 miles of oil pipelines from Texas to the East Coast that were vital to the war effort.
As an important supporter of the Republican Party, he met and became a very close personal friend of President Eisenhower. Jones was killed in the crash of American Airlines Flight 1 in New York City on March 1, 1962, while on his way to join Eisenhower on a fishing trip.[1][2]
In 1944 he founded the W. Alton Jones Foundation "to promote the well-being and general good of mankind through out [sic] the world". The foundation supported various causes, such as the arts, education, and environmental activism, but split into three separate funds in 2001.
Immediately after his death, Jones' heirs donated his private hunting and fishing retreat (which had hosted President Eisenhower and the King of Nepal) to the University of Rhode Island, creating the W. Alton Jones Campus.[3][4]
See also
- The W. Alton Jones Cell Science Center
- Burl S. Watson, Jones' successor and President during his tenure as CEO.
Notes
- ^ a b c W. Alton Jones. 20th Century American Leaders Database, Harvard Business School. Accessed 25 July 2009.
- ^ McCarthy, Dave. "All's quiet at Whispering Pines". The Providence Journal, September 22, 2005. Accessed 25 July 2009.
- ^ Wenzel, Jan. "Weddings In The Woods". Rhode Island Roads. Accessed 25 July 2009.
- ^ Whispering Pines Conference Center. Paul and Allison's Wedding Website. Accessed 25 July 2009.
External links
- W. Alton Jones Campus, University of Rhode Island
- The Whispering Pines Conference Center—official site
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- 1891 births
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- 20th-century American businesspeople
- American philanthropists
- People from Webb City, Missouri
- Businesspeople from Missouri
- Accidental deaths in New York (state)
- 20th-century philanthropists
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1962
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- American business biography, 1890s birth stubs