Charles Ruffin Hook Sr. (July 12, 1880 - November 15, 1963) was an American

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

, second president of Armco Steel Corp., and recipient of the

Henry Laurence Gantt Medal The Henry Laurence Gantt Medal was established in 1929 by the American Management Association and the Management section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for "distinguished achievement in management and service to the community" in h ...

in 1950.

Life and work

Hook was born and raised in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Hamilton County as son of Henry Hamilton Hook and Katherine (Klusman) Hook. He attended

Walnut Hills High School Walnut Hills High School is a public college-preparatory high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Operated by Cincinnati Public Schools, it houses grades seven through twelve. The school was established in 1895 and has occupied its current building s ...

, where he graduated in 1898.''Who's who in Finance and Industry.'' Marquis Who's Who, 1959. p. 554 In 1902 Hook started his lifelong career at Armco as night superintendent at the sheet mill. Hook served as president of Armco Steel from 1930 to 1948, and later served as chairman of its board from 1948 to 1959. In the 1930s he also served as president of the

National Association of Manufacturers The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices across the United States. It is the nation's largest manufacturing industrial trade association, representing 14,000 s ...

. Hook was awarded a series of honorary degrees, such as the D.Eng from Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1935, and from the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

in 1944; the LL.D. from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in 1939, from Harding College in 1941, from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

in 1951, from

Cedarville University Cedarville University is a private Baptist university in Cedarville, Ohio. It is chartered by the state of Ohio, approved by the Ohio Board of Regents, and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Established in 1887, the school was origi ...

in 1951, from

Marietta College Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio, United States. Its campus encompasses approximately six city blocks next to downtown Marietta and enrolls 1,200 students. History Marietta College began as the Muskin ...

in 1952, and from

Centre College Centre College, formally Centre College of Kentucky, is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, United States. Chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819, the col ...

in 1955; the DCS from

Oglethorpe University Oglethorpe University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, United States. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder ...

in 1938; the Dr. Humanities from

Muskingum University Muskingum University is a private university in New Concord, Ohio, United States. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). New Concord is located in far eastern Muskingum County, ...

in 1950; and the Dr. Public Service from the University of Cincinnati in 1956. In 1950 Hook was awarded by the

American Management Association The American Management Association (AMA) is an American non-profit educational membership organization for the promotion of management, based in New York City. Besides its headquarters there, it has local head offices throughout the world. It o ...

and

ASME The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...

the

for his accomplishments and for being a "proponent of incentives and industrial peace at Armco Steel Corporation."Lester Robert Bittel, Muriel Albers Bittel. ''Encyclopedia of professional management'', 1978. p. 456 in 1950. Hook died in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

November 15, 1963 at the age of 83.

References

External links

Charles R. Hook - Leadership - Harvard Business School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hook, Charles R. 1880 births 1963 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Cincinnati Henry Laurence Gantt Medal recipients Engineers from Ohio Walnut Hills High School alumni

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links