Alfred P. Sloan

Alfred P. Sloan
Alfred P. Sloan in 1937
Born
Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr.

(1875-05-23)May 23, 1875
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 1966(1966-02-17) (aged 90)
New York City, U.S.
EducationBrooklyn Polytechnic Institute,[1] Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Known forPresident & CEO of General Motors
SpouseIrene Jackson

Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr. (/sloʊn/ SLOHN; May 23, 1875 – February 17, 1966) was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation.[2] Sloan, first as a senior executive and later as the head of the organization, helped GM grow from the 1920s through the 1950s, decades when concepts such as the annual model change, brand architecture, industrial engineering, automotive design (styling), and planned obsolescence transformed the industry, and when the industry changed lifestyles and the built environment in America and throughout the world.

Sloan wrote his memoir, My Years with General Motors,[3] in the 1950s.[4] Like Henry Ford, the other "head man" of an automotive colossus, Sloan is remembered with a complex mixture of admiration for his accomplishments, appreciation for his philanthropy, and unease or reproach regarding his attitudes during the interwar period and World War II.[5]

  1. ^ "Who was Alfred P. Sloan Jr.?". Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Sloan 1964.
  4. ^ McDonald & Seligman 2003.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference wpost-30nov98 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).