Francis S. Levien (1905 – June 15, 1995) was an American lawyer and industrialist specialized in the creation of conglomerates. He was a director of

Gulf and Western Industries Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. The company originally focused on manufacturing and resource extraction, but it began purchasing a number of entertainment companies beginning in 1966 ...

Biography

Born in 1905, Levien graduated from Columbia College in 1926 and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

in 1928. He began a law practice named Levien, Singer & Neuberger and made a small fortune during the 1930s, when he and his partner, Herbert M. Singer, won a case in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, resulting in the formation of

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...

. He was also a shareholder of the company. He also formed a partnership with the

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

paper merchant Harry E. Gould and turned a marginal steelmaker, the Steel Materials Corporation, into a thriving money-maker from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

military contracts. In 1950, Levien bought a defunct steel mill in Ohio and put it back in operation as the Ohio River Steel Company. In 1951, Levien and Gould traded their stake in the steel company for control of a printing-ink business, Universal Laboratories. They changed the name of the holding company into Universal American Corporation, which acquired companies such as Bohn Aluminum and Brass, Van Norman and Paul Hardeman before merging into

. Levien subsequently became a director of Gulf and Western until his retirement in 1985. He was also a director of several companies, including

Kansas City Southern Industries Kansas City Southern (KCS) was a transportation holding company with railroad investments in the United States, Mexico, and Panama and operated from 1887 to 2023. The KCS rail network included about of track in the U.S. and Mexico. Its primar ...

and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. In 1962, he donated $1 million towards building a new gymnasium at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

that was named in his honor.

Personal life

Levien married Janice L. Currick in 1936 at the

Savoy-Plaza Hotel The Savoy-Plaza Hotel was a 33-story hotel overlooking Central Park at Fifth Avenue and East 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1927 and was demolished in 1965. History Original Savoy Hotel The original Savoy Hotel at ...

. He died on June 15 at Mount Sinai Hospital and was survived by his wife, a daughter, Lorna Lubash, and two grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levien, Francis 1905 births 1995 deaths Gulf and Western Industries Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Law School alumni American philanthropists American industrialists Lawyers from New York City 20th Century Studios people