Voting Station

Owen D. Young

Please vote to return to collections.

Entrepreneur

The Resume

    (October 27, 1874-July 11, 1962)
    Born in Stark, New York
    Birth name is Owen Daniel Young
    Businessman, industrialist, lawyer, and radio magnate
    Two-time Chairman for General Electric (GE), 1922-1939, 1942-1945
    Founding member of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA); First executive CEO and Chairman of the RCA
    Served on the board of trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation (1928 - 1939)
    Diplomat at the Second Reparations Conference (SRC), representative of the German Reparations International Commission (1929)
    Named Time Magazine's 'Man (Person) of the Year' in 1929, for his outlining of The Dawes Plan, and later 'The Young Plan'
    Trustee of St. Lawrence University from 1912 to 1934; Served as president of the University board from 1924 to 1934

Why he might be annoying:

    Ida Tarbell wrote an unauthorized biography on him.
    He was the first male of the family to have a name that was not biblical.
    The ‘D’ in his name is listed as standing for 'Daniel,' but was apparently more for adornment than anything else, not really meant to stand for anything.
    He was rejected by Harvard Law School due to lack of funds.
    He was forced to leave St. Lawrence University and return to help with the family farm because his father was 'getting on in years.'
    He helped found the RCA after being prompted by the government.
    The reason being that the government was wary over the threat of the British dominating the world’s radio communications.
    His name was tossed around by the Democratic Committee for a Presidential nominee during the Al Smith-FDR struggle, in the event that the race came down to a contested, brokered convention.
    His detailed plan to reduce German Reparations collapsed in the aftermath of the 1929 Stock Market Crash, which led to the Great Depression.
    His seventy-ninth birthday was celebrated in the media by printing his picture in newspapers across the country under the headline 'rocking chair consultant.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He grew up the only son of poor farmers.
    His parents mortgaged the family farm to send him to school.
    He was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1981.
    He was a gifted lawyer; after Clarence Darrow, one of the most famous attorney of his time.
    He was appointed by Governor Thomas Dewey to be the head of the state commission that laid the groundwork for the SUNY system.
    He successfully argued the Stone/Webster case against General Electric, in 1911, ironically coming to the attention of GE president, Charles A. Coffin,who gave him a job.
    He extensively advised five U.S. Presidents between 1920 and 1945.
    GE's stock shot up under his guidance, successfully shifting into home goods manufacturing, electrical appliances, mass electrification of farm equipment, and transportation systems.
    He was an innovator who pioneered a new style of corporate management.
    Edward Weeks wrote: 'No one worked more valiantly... to clear away the debris of World War I and so point the way to a shared prosperity and peace.'
    He was one of several prominent senior citizens invited to lunch with New York Governor Averell Harriman, in the fall of 1955, to discuss the problems facing the aging.
    Also in attendance at the luncheon was 91 year-old Grandma Moses, who reportedly turned to him when the meal was served, saying 'Young man, will you take me to lunch?'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying