Roy D. Chapin, Jr.
| Roy D. Chapin Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 21, 1915 Grosse Pointe, Michigan |
| Died | August 5, 2001 (aged 85) Nantucket, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education |
Hotchkiss School (1933) Yale University (B.A. 1937) |
| Occupation | Automobile industry executive |
| Employer |
Hudson Motor Car Company American Motors Corporation |
| Parent(s) | Roy D. Chapin (Hudson Motor Car Company cofounder) |
| Awards | Automotive Hall of Fame |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Roy Dikeman Chapin Jr. (September 21, 1915 – August 5, 2001) was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Chapin's father, Roy D. Chapin Sr., was one of the co-founders of the Hudson Motor Car Company; Hudson later merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1954 to form American Motors. Roy D. Chapin Jr. was instrumental in introducing many successful lines of cars by American Motors that included the Gremlin, Hornet, and Javelin, as well as the purchase of Kaiser Jeep by the automaker.
Roy D. Chapin Jr. graduated from the Los Alamos Ranch School in Los Alamos, N.M., the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn. in 1933, and received his degree in Business Administration with honors from Yale University in 1937. At Yale, he was advertising manager of campus humor magazine The Yale Record (Walter J. Cummings Jr. and James S. Copley served with him on the business staff). He began his automotive career as salesman, test driver and experimental engineer for Hudson in 1938.
He joined American Motors in 1954 when the corporation was formed with the merger of Nash and Hudson. Later, he served as an assistant treasurer and a director at AMC. By 1964, Chapin held the post of executive vice president in charge of international operations of AMC.Robert B. Evans, chairman of AMC, recognized the talents of Chapin and promoted him from an executive vice president to take his place as chairman of the board.
The "dynamic and intelligent" Chapin was appointed to fill the CEO position at AMC following the departure of Roy Abernethy in 1967, along with William Luneburg as president. Chapin realized he was taking over at a crucial time; The Wall Street Journal described it as "a dying company." At the time, Chapin said, "We're going to have to show ingenuity." He reflected later that the most difficult period was "... when our president, Bill Luneburg, and I took over. We were out of money and we had to do something to overcome the immediate problems. We had no time to think about long-range problems. Obviously, we managed to solve immediate considerations..."
...
Wikipedia