Philip Caldwell

Philip Caldwell (January 27, 1920 – July 10, 2013) was the first person to run the Ford Motor Company who was not a member of the Ford family. He orchestrated one of the most dramatically successful turnarounds in business history.

Early life

Caldwell was born in Bourneville, Ohio,[1] the son of Robert Clyde Caldwell (1882 – 1935), a farmer, and Wilhelmina Hemphill (1881 – 1966). He grew up in South Charleston, Ohio. Caldwell is a 1940 graduate of Muskingum College where he majored in economics and was a member of the school's debate team.[2] In 1942 he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School.[2]

Career

Starting at Ford in 1953, he successively headed truck operations, the Philco division, and international operations;[3] in the last of these positions he introduced the Ford Fiesta into Europe.

Following the firing of Lee Iacocca in 1978, Caldwell became president of Ford Motor Company.[3] On October 1, 1979, Henry Ford II retired as CEO[4] and as Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1980; Caldwell succeeded him in each position.[5]

As Chairman of the Board and CEO Caldwell approved and oversaw the development and launch of the Ford Taurus (and its corporate sister the Mercury Sable) which were introduced to the media days before his retirement,[6] thus allowing him to take public credit for the Taurus program, which became one of the biggest successes in automobile business history.[7]

On February 1, 1985, Caldwell retired from Ford,[8] He later accepted a position as senior managing director at Shearson Lehman Brothers in New York.[9] On September 23, 1985, he was one of 21 new members appointed to the President's Export Council.[1]

He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1990.[10][11]

Death

He died in 2013 at the age of 93.[10][12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Appointment of 21 Members of the President's Export Council". Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Philip and Betsey Caldwell Hall dedicated on October 22 as a part of Muskingum College Homecoming Weekend Festivities". Muskingum College. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Business: Ford's New Man". Time. 25 September 1978. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "Business: End of an Era at Ford". Time. 21 May 1979. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "100 Years of Ford History". Ford New Zealand. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "FORD'S MR. TURNAROUND: WE HAVE MORE TO DO". Fortune Magazine. 4 March 1985. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  7. ↑ Taub, Eric (November 1991). Taurus: The Making of the Car That Saved Ford. E. P. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-93372-7.
  8. ↑ "Executive Suite: A Car Buff Takes the Wheel". Time. 12 November 1984. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "Philip Caldwell". Business Week. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Philip Caldwell Obituary" (docx). Automotive News. July 11, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Philip Caldwell". Hall of Fame Inductees. Automotive Hall of Fame. 1990. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Philip Caldwell Is Dead at 93; First Nonfamily Member to Head Ford". New York Times. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
Business positions
Preceded by
Henry Ford II		 Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company
1980 — 1985 		Succeeded by
Donald Petersen
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