Robert Townsend (author)
Robert Townsend | |
|---|---|
 Townsend in 1970 | |
| Born | Robert Chase Townsend July 30, 1920 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 1998 (aged 77) |
| Education | A.B., Princeton '42 |
| Occupation(s) | Author, businessman |
Robert Chase Townsend (July 30, 1920 – January 12, 1998) was an American business executive and author who is noted for transforming
Avis
into a rental car giant.
Biography
Townsend was born in Washington, D.C. in 1920. His parents moved to Great Neck, New York where he spent his childhood. After high school, he was accepted to Princeton, graduating in 1942. After graduating from college, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy, serving for the remainder of World War II.
After the war, he was hired by
ITT acquired Avis, leading to Townsend's departure as president. After leaving Avis, he became a senior partner of Congressional Monitor in 1969. The company was later renamed Washington Monitor, Leadership Directories (1995-2018), and Leadership Connect (2019-). He wrote the widely acclaimed essay on business management, Up the Organization, which spent 28 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list upon its publication in 1970.[1]
In 1990, Townsend had to have
triple bypass surgery. During the late 1990s, he was the chairman of the executive committee of Leadership Directories. On January 12, 1998, he was vacationing in Anguilla. While telling a fishing story on a ketch, he had a massive heart attack leading to his death. Townsend was married to Joan Tours. He had three daughters, executive and attorney Claire Townsend (1952–1995), the actress Jill (b. 1945) and Joan, as well as two sons, Jeffrey and Robert Jr.[2]
Bibliography
- Townsend, Robert C.; ISBN 978-0787987756.
- Townsend, Robert C. (1988). Further Up the Organization. ISBN 978-0060971366.
References
- Pearson PLC. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
- ^ Pace, Eric (January 14, 1998). "Robert Townsend, 77, Dies; Wrote 'Up the Organization'". The New York Times.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
