F. Ross Johnson

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F. Ross Johnson
Born
Frederick Ross Johnson

(1931-12-13)December 13, 1931
M.B.A.)
University of Manitoba (B.Com.
)
OccupationBusinessman

Frederick Ross Johnson, OC (December 13, 1931 – December 29, 2016) was a Canadian businessman, best known as the chief executive officer of RJR Nabisco in the 1980s.[1]

Early life and education

Born in

MBA from the University of Toronto
in 1956.

Career

Johnson first worked as an accountant for General Electric in Montreal and as a vice-president of merchandising for the T. Eaton Company before being named president of Standard Brands Ltd.[3]

Johnson negotiated a

Shearson Lehman Hutton
. Events quickly escalated into a takeover contest.

He was extensively profiled in the book

Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco by Wall Street Journal columnists Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, and in the movie of the same name made for HBO. In the film, Johnson was portrayed by James Garner
.

Following the RJR Nabisco takeover by

Bentley Pharmaceuticals. Johnson also served on the advisory board of Power Corporation of Canada
.

Personal life

Johnson maintained homes in

La Jolla, California and Jupiter, Florida.[5]

He was made a trustee of Duke University and served on the advisory councils of several universities. The Distinguished Visitors Program at the University of Toronto Centre for the Study of the United States was endowed by Johnson in 2001.

Death

Johnson died on December 29, 2016, at his home in Jupiter, Florida, seventeen days after his 85th birthday[1] from pneumonia.

References

  1. ^ a b Hagerty, James. "Former RJR Nabisco CEO F. Ross Johnson Dies at Age 85". The Wall Street Journal.
  2. ^ "F. Ross Johnson, Symbol of '80s Corporate Excess, Dies at 85". The New York Times. December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  3. ^ Doron P. Levin (October 21, 1988). "F. Ross Johnson. A Chief Willing to Gamble". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "A Game of Greed". Time. cover. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  5. ISBN 0-919339-02-6
    . Accessed June 28, 2011. "Residence: 210 East Mountain Road, Sparta, New Jersey 07871".
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