John Gideon Searle
John Gideon "Jack" Searle (1901–1978) was an American heir, businessman and philanthropist.[1][2][3][4]
John Gideon Searle | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 18, 1901 Iowa |
| Died | 1978 |
| Education | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Children | Daniel C. Searle |
| Parent(s) | Claude Howard Searle |
| Relatives | Gideon Daniel Searle (paternal grandfather) |
Early life
John Gideon Searle was born March 18, 1901 in Iowa.[1][2] His paternal grandfather was Gideon Daniel Searle, founder of G. D. Searle & Company in 1888.[1][4] His father, Claude Howard Searle, served as president of the family business after his grandfather's death in 1917.[1] He began working for the family business at the age of fourteen, working every summer through high school and college.[1] He graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy.[1][4]
Business career
At Searle, he worked as a buyer in 1923, and then was appointed office manager and treasurer.[1] In 1931, he became vice president and general manager of Searle, up until 1966.[1] To remain competitive during the Great Depression, he reduced its product lines and focused on successful products such as Aminophyllin, Metamucil and Dramamine.[1] He also launched the first oral contraceptive drug Enovid in 1957.[2][3] He moved its headquarters to Skokie, Illinois, in 1942.[4]
In 1966, his son Daniel C. Searle became president of Searle.[1] His other son, William L. Searle, as well as his son-in-law, Wes Dixon, also worked for the company.[4]
Philanthropy
In 1964, he set up the Searle Fund at The Chicago Community Trust.[3] The Searle Family Trust later created the Searle Scholars Program.[3][4]
He was inducted in the American National Business Hall of Fame.[1] Northwestern University and Yale University have endowed professorships named for him.[5][6] The John G. Searle Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, named in his honor, is currently held by Michael R. Strain.[7] Assistant professorships named after Searle exist in all departments at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.