Jack Welch

@Ceo of General Electric, Timeline and Facts

Jack Welch is an American business executive famous for serving as the CEO of General Electric

Nov 19, 1935

StutteringAmericanUniversity Of IllinoisUniversity Of Massachusetts AmherstCEOsWritersENTJScorpio Celebrities
Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: November 19, 1935
  • Nationality: American
  • Famous: Ceo of General Electric, Former Chairman, University Of Illinois, University Of Massachusetts Amherst, CEOs, Writers, ENTJ
  • Spouses: Suzy Welch (m. 2004), Carolyn B. Osburn (m. 1959–1987), Jane Beasley (m. 1989–2003)
  • Known as: John Francis Welch Jr.
  • Universities:
    • University Of Illinois,University Of Massachusetts Amherst
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1960)
    • University of Massachusetts Amherst (1957)
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Salem High School
  • Notable Alumnis:
    • University Of Illinois
    • University Of Massachusetts Amherst

Jack Welch born at

Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S

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Birth Place

He married Carolyn Osburn in 1959 and had four children with her. The couple divorced after 28 years of marriage in 1987.

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Personal Life

He married for the second time in 1989. His second wife, Jane Beasley, was a lawyer. This marriage too ended in a divorce in 2003 after his wife found about his affair with Suzy Wetlaufer whom he would eventually marry.

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Personal Life

He married Suzy in 2004 and is currently married to her.

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Personal Life

He was born on 19 November 1935 in Massachusetts to John Welch and his wife, Grace. His father worked as a Boston & Maine Railroad conductor while his mother managed the home. He was the only child of his parents.

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Childhood & Early Life

He displayed business acumen from a young age and worked during the summers as a newspaper boy, shoe salesman and golf caddy while he was still a school student.

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Childhood & Early Life

He attended Salem High School and was a talented athlete. He loved playing sports like baseball, football and hockey and was consumed by a great drive to win.

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Childhood & Early Life

He went to the University of Massachusetts from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering in 1957.

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Childhood & Early Life

He then enrolled at the University of Illinois from where he earned a Master’s degree and a PhD in chemical engineering in 1960.

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Childhood & Early Life

He joined General Electric in 1960 as a junior chemical engineer in the plastics division. He worked diligently for a year and was hoping for a big raise. When he got a raise of less than what he had expected, he was disappointed and planned to quit.

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Career

He was persuaded to stay by an executive, Reuben Gutoff, and reluctantly agreed. An incident that happened in 1963 almost cost him the job. There was an explosion at a factory building under his management and he was almost fired for this.

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Career

He continued working for GE and was made the vice president and head of GE’s entire plastics division in 1968, just eight years after he had joined the company in a junior position.

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Career

The plastics division, at that time a $26 million operation, grew rapidly under his management. He oversaw the production and marketing of Lexan and Noryl, which were plastic products, developed in the GE labs.

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Career

In 1971, Welch also became the vice president of GE's metallurgical and chemical divisions. His background in chemical engineering combined with his astute business acumen made him a brilliant manager.

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Career

Jack Welch is best known for serving as the chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001. An astute manager and leader, he revolutionized the way GE conducted business and turned it into one of the fastest growing companies in the US.

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Major Works