George Weissman

George Weissman (July 12, 1919 – July 24, 2009) was an American businessman and former chairman and CEO of Philip Morris (now Altria).

Weissman was born in the Bronx on July 12, 1919. After graduating from Townsend Harris High School, he studied business at the City College of New York (whose business school became Baruch College), edited a small weekly newspaper in New Jersey and then became a reporter for The Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey. The day after the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Navy and, during World War II, served for more than three years as a submarine destroyer commander and on an anti-personnel naval ship. Following military service, he made a career change to public relations, first working at Samuel Goldwyn Productions and later becoming a public relations consultant at Benjamin Sonnenberg, where Philip Morris was a client.

In 1952, Weissman joined Philip Morris as assistant to the president and director of public relations. The next year, he was elected vice-president of the company, handling not only public relations and market research, but also new product development and packaging. He joined the board of directors in 1958 and went on to become chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Philip Morris International, leading its expansion overseas. He was appointed president of the corporation in 1967, vice-chairman in 1973 and chairman and chief executive officer in 1978.

Weissman retired in 1984, but continued to serve the company in various advisory roles. He also joined the board of directors of Gulf+Western, which later became Paramount Communications, a position he held for the next decade.

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