Walter Hoving
| Walter Hoving | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 2, 1897 , Sweden |
| Died | November 27, 1989 Newport, Rhode Island |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
De Witt Clinton High School Brown University |
| Occupation | Former chairman of Tiffany & Company |
Walter Hoving (December 2, 1897 – November 27, 1989) was a Swedish-born American businessman and writer. He was the chairman of Tiffany & Company from 1955 to 1980.
Hoving was born in in 1897 to Johannes Hoving, a surgeon and Helga Rundberg, an opera singer. He moved to United States with his parents in 1903. He completed his school education at the Barnard School and De Witt Clinton High School in New York City. In the year 1920, Hoving received his bachelor's degree from Brown University where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
He started working at R. H. Macy & Company in 1924 and became vice-president at the age of 30. He studied arts at Metropolitan Museum for four years to enhance his knowledge of painting, textile design and furniture. In the year, 1932 he joined Montgomery Ward & Company as vice-president in charge of sales where he worked for four years. In 1936 he joined Lord & Taylor and worked as the president of the firm till 1946.
Hoving founded the Hoving Corporation in 1946 which included Bonwit Teller until he sold it in 1960.
Hoving bought a controlling share of Tiffany & Co. in 1955, at that time company's performance appeared to be gradually declining with around $7 million worth of business a year. Under his supervision, company's sales grew up to $100 million by the year 1980.
He hired Van Day Truex, a design director and allowed him to design freely without worrying about selling it. He also hired famous designers like Jean Schlumberger, Elsa Peretti, and Gene Moore. Moore went on to design Tiffany's famous Fifth Avenue windows.
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