John H. Tyson

John Tyson (born September 5, 1953) is an American billionaire heir and businessman.[2][3][4][5][6][7] He was chief executive officer (CEO) of the family business, Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN), from 2000 to 2006, and has been chairman since 1998.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

John H. Tyson
Born (1953-09-05) September 5, 1953
Springdale, Arkansas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationSpringdale High School
University of Arkansas
OccupationBusinessman
Net worthUS$2.3 billion (April 2019)[1]
TitleChairman, Tyson Foods
Children2
Parent(s)Donald J. Tyson
Jean Tyson
RelativesJohn W. Tyson
(Grandfather)

Biography

Early life

Tyson was born on September 5, 1953 in Springdale, Arkansas.[4] His grandfather was John W. Tyson, the founder of Tyson Foods.[4][8] His father, Don Tyson, was CEO of the family business.[4][8] His mother was Jean Tyson.[4] He graduated from Springdale High School in 1971.[4][6] He attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he was initiated into the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in 1972.[4] He then transferred to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.[6] Finally, he transferred to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).[3][4][6] He attended the University of Arkansas School of Law for a year, but dropped out, deciding that becoming a lawyer was not for him.[6]

Career

He worked at the family business, Tyson Foods, since his teenage years.[4] In 1984, he joined the board of directors.[4] In 1990, he served as vice chairman and in 1993, as president of the beef and pork division.[6] He was CEO from 1999 to 2006.[3] Since 1998, he has been chairman.[3][4] Under his leadership as chairman and CEO, Tyson Foods acquired IBP, Inc., becoming the world's largest protein-processing company.[4][6] Under his leadership as Chairman, Tyson acquired Hillshire Brands for $63 per share, making the merger the largest deal within the meat industry.[9]

He is a member of the board of directors of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.[10] He has served on the boards of the Walden Woods Project, which seeks to maintain the land, literature and legacy of Henry David Thoreau.[4] He has also served on the advisory board for the Yale Center for Faith and Culture at Yale University, the board of trustees of the University of Arkansas, and as committee chairman of the University of Arkansas Capital Campaign for the 21st Century.[4] He has also served on the Boards of the American Meat Institute, the National Chicken Council, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, and the Searchlight Leadership Fund.[7] The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas is named in his honor.[7] He is a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.[4] He has received the International Faith and Spirit at Work award.[7]

He is the founder the Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas.[11]

Personal life

Tyson stopped drinking alcoholic beverages in December 1990, at the age of thirty-seven.[6] He is an Episcopalian.[5] He is a Democrat. He collects art, and owns paintings by Willem de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.[6] He married in 1987 and divorced in 1998, and has two children.[6] He lives in Johnson, Arkansas.[1]

References
  1. "Forbes profile: John Tyson". Forbes. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  2. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
  3. Forbes 2006 CEO Pay: John H Tyson
  4. Phi Delta Theta
  5. M. Alex Johnson, Walking the walk, on the assembly line , NBC News, 3/24/2005
  6. David Barboza, Why Is He on Top? He's a Tyson, for One, The New York Times, March 04, 2001
  7. Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace
  8. Tyson Rewards Top Executives After Return to Profit, The New York Times, December 27, 2007
  9. "Tyson to acquire Hillshire Brands for $63 a share in cash". www.cnbc.com. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  10. "Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Announces First Recipient of the Don Tyson Prize: Archives of American Art". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  11. "Architect Magazine". www.architectmagazine.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
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