Thomas Watson, Jr.
| Thomas Watson Jr. | |
|---|---|
Circa 1980
|
|
| United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union | |
|
In office October 29, 1979 – January 15, 1981 |
|
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Malcolm Toon |
| Succeeded by | Arthur A. Hartman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas John Watson Jr. January 14, 1914 Dayton, Ohio U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 1993 (aged 79) Greenwich, Connecticut U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Olive Cawley |
| Children | Thomas John Watson III Jeanette Watson Olive F. Watson Lucinda Watson Susan Watson Helen Watson |
| Parents |
Thomas J. Watson Jeanette M. Kittredge |
| Education | Brown University |
| Occupation | Business |
Thomas John Watson Jr. (January 14, 1914 – December 31, 1993) was an American businessman, political figure, and philanthropist. He was the 2nd president of IBM (1952–1971), the 11th national president of the Boy Scouts of America (1964–1968), and the 16th United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1979–1981). He received many honors during his lifetime, including being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Watson was called "the greatest capitalist in history" and one of "100 most influential people of the 20th century".
Thomas Watson Jr. was born on January 14, 1914, just before his father was dismissed from his job at NCR. Then two sisters were born, Jane and Helen, before the youngest child, Arthur Kittredge Watson, was born. He was raised in the Short Hills section of Millburn, New Jersey.
Both sons were immersed in IBM from a very early age. He was taken on plant inspections — his first memory of such a visit (to the Dayton, Ohio factory) was at the age of five — business tours to Europe and he made appearances at IBM Hundred Per Cent Club meetings (annual gatherings for the company's elite sales representatives), even before he was old enough to attend school.
At home his father's discipline was erratic and often harsh. Around the time he was thirteen, Tom Jr. suffered for six years with what might now be called clinical depression.
Talking to a reporter in 1974, Watson Jr. described his relationship with his father; "My father and I had terrible fights ... He seemed like a blanket that covered everything. I really wanted to beat him but also make him proud of me." But this relationship was not all negative: "I really enjoyed the ten years (working) with him". In his book he says; "I was so intimately entwined with my father. I had a compelling desire, maybe out of honor for the old gentleman, maybe out of sheer cussedness, to prove to the world that I could excel in the same way that he did."
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