William Robert Orthwein Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 12, 1917[1] St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | June 1, 2011(2011-06-01) (aged 94) |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Known for | President, founder McConnell Douglas Automation |
| Spouse | Laura Rand |
| Children | 3, includingLaura X |
| Parent(s) | William R. Orthwein Nina Kent Baldwin |
| Relatives | William D. Orthwein(greatfather) Frederick C. Orthwein(uncle) Frank C. Rand(father-in-law) |
William R. Orthwein Jr. (February 12, 1917 - June 1, 2011) was an American businessman and philanthropist.
William R. Orthwein Jr. was born February 12, 1917 in St. Louis, Missouri.[1][2] His father,William R. Orthwein, was a prominent St. Louis attorney and 1948 Missouri candidate for Lieutenant Governor who won a bronze medal inwater polo at the1904 Summer Olympics. His mother Nina Kent Baldwin, was a schoolteacher.[2] He had two brothers, Robert Baldwin Orthwein and David Kent Orthwein.[3] His paternal grandfather,William D. Orthwein (1841–1925), was a German-borngrain merchant in St. Louis.[3]
Orthwein was educated at the Rossman School and theSt. Louis Country Day School.[2][3] He graduated fromYale University, where he received a degree in business in 1938.[2][4]
Orthwein started his career as a salesman for the General American Life Insurance,[4] now part ofMetLife.[2] In 1942, he joinedMcDonnell Douglas, nowBoeing.[3][4] He served as the president and chairman of one of its subsidiaries, the McDonnell Automation Co., from 1970 to 1982,[2][3][5] and served on McDonnell Douglas's board of directors for 36 years from 1975 until his death on June 1, 2011. During his tenure with McDonnell Douglas, the company was considered one of the leading global enterprises in their field.[2] In the 1990's Orthwein was an owner of theNew England Patriots professional football franchise.[6]
He served on the boards of directors of theMercantile Bancorporation and theMicrodata Corporation.[2][3]
Orthwein was a generous philanthropist inSt. Louis, Missouri.[2][3] Over the years, he and his wife donated millions of dollars to theSt. Louis Symphony Orchestra,Saint Louis Science Center, theMissouri Botanical Garden, and theSaint Louis Zoo, where they established the Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center.[2][3] Orthwein served on the Boards of Trustees of theBoy Scouts of America, theMissouri Historical Society, the United Fund (now theUnited Way), and St. Luke's Hospital.[2][3] He also endowed the William R. Orthwein chair at theWashington University School of Law.[3]
Orthwein and his wife founded the William R. and Laura Rand Orthwein Foundation 2004, which had US$33 million under assets by 2009.[2][3] Through the foundation, Orthwein donated US$2.5 million to theYale School of Medicine to support scholarship in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 2007.[4] In 2015, posthumously, the foundation donated US$1 million to 'The Muny', an outdoors amphitheater in St. Louis.[7]
Orthwein married Laura Hale Rand,[3] the daughter ofFrank C. Rand, and the 1938 Queen at theVeiled Prophet Ball.[8] The family resided in Clayton, Missouri.[2] They had three daughters, Nina, Nettie andLaura Orthwein, known later as Laura Shaw Murra and as Laura X, who was 1959 Veiled Prophet Queen.[9][10]
Orthwein died ofpneumonia on June 1, 2011, in Clayton, Missouri.[2] His funeral took place at theSecond Presbyterian Church in St. Louis and he was buried at the historicBellefontaine Cemetery.[3]