Charlotte Beers: Woman Power in Advertising

Charlotte Beers is a combination of Southern charm and business insight. These characteristics placed her at the top of the advertising and marketing world. She was given the award as the “Most Powerful Woman in Advertising” and the accolade as the “Queen of Madison Avenue”. She was on the cover of Business Week and Fortune magazines when these publications featured America’s most powerful women.

Beers was instrumental in making a revolution in ad campaigns through her clear differentiation of products and brands. Her clients had unprecedented successes, including the ad agencies she has managed.

She started as an account executive with J. Walter Thompson Advertising. She slowly climbed up the ladder to become the first woman vice president of the company. Later, she served as the CEO of Tatham-Laird & Kudner., then as CEO and Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.

Beers has taught in Harvard Business School. Her case study entitled “Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy” has been a reference in many universities and schools.

From 2001 to 2003, Beers was the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Her tasks included bringing Brand America to the rest of the world, especially the Middle East. She was given the Distinguished Service Medal for her service with the State Department.

Her other awards included Yale School of Management’s “Legend in Leadership Award” and one of the “Women of the Year” by Glamour magazine.

Theodore H. Friedman’s Lengthy Career in Law

A well known presence in the New York legal arena, Theodore H. Friedman has represented numerous prominent clients over a career spanning more than three decades. He notably tried cases for heavyweight champions Michael Spinks and Muhammed Ali, and for the Estate of Jimi Hendrix. Experienced in personal injury, he has additionally represented victims of asbestos and defectively manufactured cars, as well as retailers seeking damages for defective product components. He notably counseled leading carpet retailers in a class action pertaining to a defectively manufactured carpet padding product.

Mr. Friedman has achieved several multi-million dollar verdicts over the years, receiving media attention in publications such as the New York Times and the New York Law Journal. These prominent successes earned him selection into the Inner Circle of Advocates, which is comprised of the nation’s 100 best trial attorneys.

A self-made success story, Theodore H. Friedman worked his way through undergraduate studies in Economics at the University of Michigan, and a J.D. at Harvard Law School. He began his career as a trial lawyer in the late 1950s, undertaking high-profile personal injuries work at the federal court of appeals level. A case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court notably earned him a role as Partner with the preeminent New York litigation practice Phillips Nizer, LLP.

Over the decades, Mr. Friedman has taught various aspects of U.S. law in numerous academic settings, including Columbia Law School. Having volunteered on a kibbutz for a year as a college student, he returned to Israel in 1978 to instruct in American law at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Theodore H. Friedman has since engaged in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, notably assisting in the migration of several thousand Ethiopian Jews to Israel. 

James Gordon Bennett Sr.: An Icon in the Newspaper Industry in America

The history of the daily newspaper in America could not be completed without mentioning James Gordon Bennett Sr. He is a publisher and editor who established the New York Herald.

Bennett was born in Banffshire, Scotland on September 1, 1795. He grew up in the Catholic faith and even joined the seminary in Aberdeen when he was 15. He remained in the seminary for four years.

When he left the seminary, Bennett traveled all over Scotland. When a friend was set to sail to North America in 1819, Bennett joined him. They landed in Nova Scotia after four weeks. He worked there as a schoolmaster. When his savings were enough, he sailed to Portland, Maine. There, he became a teacher in a school in the village of Addison.

Bennett moved to Boston in 1820. There, he became a proofreader and bookseller. Soon, he worked for Charleston Courier as Spanish translator for the news reports. In 1823, he transferred to New York and worked as a freelance writer. Later he became New York Courier and Enquirer’s assistant editor.

After failing to start his own paper a number of times, Bennett finally began the Herald in 1835. The Herald published a front-page coverage of prostitute Helen Jewett’s murder in April 1836.

The Herald set an industry standard when Bennett first introduced the cash-in-advance for advertisers. He was also the first to use technology in gathering and reporting news. In 1839, Bennett was the first publisher to be granted an exclusive interview with then US President Martin Van Buren.

The Herald was apolitical but has endorsed several big political names such as William Henry Harrison, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, John Fremont and Franklin Pierce. He was an avid supporter of James Buchanan against slavery. He was an opposition to Abraham Lincoln but took the lead to declare the president a martyr following his assassination.

He turned over the helm of Herald to his son, James Gordon Bennett Jr. at a time when it has the highest circulation in the US. However, under the leadership of the younger Bennett, the paper declined. After Bennett’s death on June 1, 1872, Herald was merged with its closest competitor, the New York Tribune.

How Matthias William Baldwin Shaped Today’s Railroad Industry

Matthias William Baldwin was a steam locomotives manufacturer. He had a machine shop which he opened in 1825. When his business grew, he named it Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Baldwin was born on December 10, 1795 in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He was an apprentice at a local jewelry maker in Frankford, Virginia in 1811. He moved to a new employer in 1817. After two years, he used his knowledge in jewelry making to patent a procedure for gold plating.

He also engaged in printing and bookbinding. His printing business foreshadowed his success in locomotives. At his printing press, Baldwin was using a steam-powered engine he himself designed.

In 1831, Baldwin produced his first locomotive. The engine can pull several cars which carry at least four passengers each. The locomotive engine was coal-powered.

Baldwin was first commissioned to assemble the British steam locomotive in1832 named Delaware. Since then he produced his first steam locomotive which he named “Old Ironsides”. It was launched on November 23, 1832.

Baldwin and his locomotives were instrumental in shaping the railroad industry of today.

John Pierpont Morgan: Master of Finance

John Pierpont Morgan is a financier, philanthropist and art collector. He established his own banking company after he worked for his father in 1971. His bank is what is now the world esteems, the J. P. Morgan & Co. His bank was so powerful that it was instrumental in helping the US government in the 1895 depression. His bank also played a significant role in changing the tide of the financial crisis of 1907.

Morgan was born in Hartford, Connecticut on April 17, 1837. His father was a banker and perhaps made the greatest influence to Morgan.

Wealth power and influence marked the career of Morgan. He was criticized for monopolizing several industries. Among the industries he dominated were railroads and steel. He helped in the consolidation of the industry of railroad in the East and the establishment of the United States Steel Company. The US Steel Company contributed greatly to the nation’s growth. It was the largest steel company in the world.

The US Steel Company and Morgan were investigated by the US Congress in 1912 for suspicion of monopolizing the steel industry. The congressional investigation was handled by the Pujo Committee.

Aside from banking, Morgan is also passionate about sailing. He participated in several yacht races. He also collected artworks. His collection was donated later to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His published works were also kept in the Morgan Library. Both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Morgan Library are located in New York City.

Morgan’ marriage with his first wife, Amelia Sturges was so short. Sturges died just a few months after their wedding in 1860. He married again after five years. His second wife is Frances Tracy, with whom he had four children, John Jr., Louisa, Juliet and Anne.

Morgan passed away on March 31, 1913. During his death, he was known as one of the greatest businessmen and was called the Master of Finance.

George Fisher Baker: Fastest Money Maker in the World

George Fisher Baker was an American financier and philanthropist who was responsible for providing the initial fund for the Harvard Business School. His donation amounted to $5 million. Harvard in return granted him an honorary Doctor of Laws for his contribution. The school library was also named Baker in honor of him.

Baker was the co-founder of the First National Bank of the City of New York which was established in 1863 after the National Currency Act of 1863 was enacted. The bank is the forerunner of what is known today as Citibank. Baker became its first president. He was only 37 that time.

Baker holds the largest stake in the Central Railroad of New Jersey. As director of 22 direct corporations, his aggregate resources amount to $7,272,000,000. One of his greatest achievements as a finance expert was making $25,000,000 in stocks trading event in just two days. For the whole week, Baker was reported to have made a total of $42,000,000, making him the fastest money maker in the world.

Baker was born on March 27, 1840. He died on May 2, 1931.