Owen Robertson Cheatham

Owen Robertson Cheatham (1902-1970) was an American businessman. He founded Georgia-Pacific, a formerly publicly traded corporation on the New York Stock Exchange from 1949 to 2005, now a subsidiary of Koch Industries.

Biography

Early life

Owen Robertson Cheatham was born on July 9, 1902 in Concord, Campbell County, Virginia.[1][2][3] His father was Walter Beverly Cheatham (1870-1918) and his mother, Sallie Fenton Franklin Cheatham (1876-1962).[1][4] He had three sisters, Catherine Cheatham Bradley (1905-1980), Ethel Cheatham Miller (1907-1995), Beverly Franklin Cheatham (1910-1985), and two brothers, William Henry Cheatham (1915-1975), and Julian North Cheatham, who went on to serve as Vice President of Georgia-Pacific.[1][4] He attended New Concord Presbyterian Church in Concord.[2]

Career

In 1927, he founded the Georgia Hardwood Lumber Co., (now known as Georgia-Pacific), a wholesaler of hardwood lumber headquartered in Augusta, Georgia.[3][5][6][7] It was a publicly traded corporation on the New York Stock Exchange from 1949 to 2005.[5] Under his tenure, it became a $750 million enterprise with a $1 billion+ asset base.[3] It is now a subsidiary of Koch Industries.[5]

Personal life

He was married to Celeste Wickliffe Cheatham (1902-1977).[1][8] She collected thirty-seven pieces of Dalí-Jewels, which were exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia after her death.[8] He died on October 24, 1970.[1] He was buried in the New Concord Presbyterian Church Cemetery.[1]

Legacy

The Owen R. Cheatham Memorial Garden and Monument on the grounds of the New Concord Presbyterian Church in Concord, Virginia, is named after him.[2] The dedication of the garden took place on Sunday June 3, 1973.[2]

The Owen Robertson Cheatham Gallery at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire is named in his honor.[9]

Cheatham Grove, a stand of old growth Redwood trees in California's Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park, is named for him. The land, part of Georgia Pacific's larger timber holdings in the area, was donated to the state by Owen Cheatham in 1945.[10]

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References
  1. FindAGrave
  2. "New Concord Presbyterian Church". Archived from the original on 2009-08-09. Retrieved 2013-08-27.
  3. Harvard Business School
  4. FindAGrave: Sallie Fenton Franklin Cheatham
  5. Georgia Pacific: History: 80 Years of Achievement
  6. Georgia-Pacific: History - 1920 thru 1950
  7. New Georgia Encyclopedia
  8. Rita Reif, 'Auctions', The New York Times, June 6, 1986
  9. "The Owen Robertson Cheatham Gallery". Archived from the original on 2012-04-01. Retrieved 2013-08-27.
  10. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
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