Originally written by Carl White.
Corporate Leader Corwin Wickersham
Many corporate leaders gave up lucrative positions when World War I and World War II broke out to serve their country. Just like any organization, the US military needed the best leadership this country could offer to guide the military. I came across the name of a Greenwich resident, Corwin Wickersham, who was a Vice President of Standard Brands, so I thought I’d look into his history.
Education and Corporate Success
Wickersham was born in Norwood OH on December 1, 1891, to Morrie and Iva (Kennedy) Wickersham. He attended Franklin Preparatory School and the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale. Corwin received a PhB (Bachelor in Philosophy) in 1916. He went to work for the Fleischmann Company in Cincinnati as an apprentice and quickly moved up the corporate ladder. Wickersham became assistant district manager for the Boston District, then district manager in 1923. By 1927, he was the New England manager.
When Fleischmann’s merged with Standard Brands in 1929, he became vice president of the Canadian company. In 1934, he was made vice president of the parent company. He was in charge of all foreign operations. Eventually, he became vice president and director of subsidiaries in the Philippines, Asia, Cuba, Pan America, Colombia, and Peru. Standard Brands was formed in 1929 by J.P. Morgan. It resulted from a merger of the Fleischmann Corporation, the Royal Baking Powder Company, EW Gillett Company of Canada, the Widlar Food Products, and Chase and Sandborn Coffee Company. By 1940, it was the number two producer of packaged foods after General Foods. It was number seventy-five on the Fortune 500 list of corporations. From the nineteen-sixties, it acquired such companies as Planters Peanuts (1960), Curtiss Candy Company (1964), and Inver House Scotch (1979), and merged with Nabisco (1981).
Marriage and Family
Corwin Wickersham married Margery Currie Shearer on October 23, 1936, in New York City. Together, they had four children: Corwin Wickersham, Jr., Robert Morris Wickersham, Lysle Chase Wickersham, and Gerry Snow Shearer. They lived in backcountry on Clapboard Ridge Road and Pecksland Road.
War Years
During World War I, Corwin served as a second lieutenant in the Fourth Field Artillery. In World War II, he took a leave of absence from Standard Brands to become Chief of the War Production Board. Wickersham was given a commission in the US Army as Colonel in the Supply Service. In 1992, he was still serving in this capacity.
Corwin Wickersham’s Later Life
Corwin Wickersham eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he died on November 8, 1970. I wasn’t able to find an obituary in the local, New York, or Los Angeles paper. I’m certain that his ability to coordinate several divisions in Standard Brands led to his success in the Supply Service. He had vast experience dealing with procurement and distribution. This was a natural fit for him and probably contributed to his decision to remain in the military after the war. The country should be grateful that there are such people who heed the call in times of need. We owe him a great deal of gratitude.
SOURCE
Greenwich Time, Southwestern Connecticut Newspapers; Stamford, CT 06902.
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