James Keith Louden (March 4, 1905 — August 12, 1994) was an American

industrial engineer Industrial engineering (IE) is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, an ...

business executive A business executive is a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. Executives run companies or government agencies. They create plans to help their organizations gr ...

, and management author. He served as the 4th president of the

Society for Advancement of Management The Society for the Advancement of Management, commonly known as SAM, is the oldest among professional management societies. On November 11, 1910 colleagues of Frederick W. Taylor met at the New York Athletic Club to discuss and promote the prin ...

in the year 1941-1942, and was the recipient of the 1949

Gilbreth Medal The Gilbreth Medal is named after Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr.Barbara Sicherman, Carol Hurd Green. ''Notable American Women: The Modern Period : a Biographical Dictionary.'' 1980. p. 273. and Lillian Gilbreth and is presented in recognition of excellen ...

Biography

Youth, education and early career

Louden was born in

Duquesne, Pennsylvania Duquesne ( ) is a city along the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 5,254 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The city of Duquesne wa ...

in 1905, son of George T. Louden and Minnie M. (Zimmerman) Louden. He obtained his BSc in Business Administration 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 1928.

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 ...

. "James Keith Louden: AMA Vice-President." in: ''Mechanical Engineering: The Journal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,'' Volume 85. 1963. p. 61. After his graduation in 1928 Louden started as industrial engineer with the

Fostoria Glass Company The Fostoria Glass Company was a manufacturer of pressed, blown and hand-molded glassware and tableware. It began operations in Fostoria, Ohio, on December 15, 1887, on land donated by the townspeople. The new company was formed by men from West ...

until 1933. He was industrial engineer at the Buckeye Steel Castings Company from 1928 to 1933, and supervisor in the quality control department of

Owens-Illinois Glass Company O-I Glass, Inc. is an American company that specializes in container glass products. It is the largest manufacturer of glass containers in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe (after acquiring BSN Glasspack in 2004). Company ...

from 1936 to 1939.

Later career and honours

In 1939 Louden had joined the National Supply Company in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, where he was appointed Director of Industrial Engineering. From 1942 to 1947 he was production manager at the

Armstrong Cork Company The Armstrong Cork Company (formerly of Armstrong World Industries) was a cork manufacturer which was located at 2349 Railroad Street in the Strip District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Armstrong Cork Company eventually moved its h ...

, and from 1947 to 1955 he served in several management positions at the York Corporation, which became in his days a division of the

BorgWarner BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive and Electric vehicle, e-mobility supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As of 2023, the company maintains production facilities and sites at 92 locations in 24 countries, and generates revenu ...

corporation. Next, from 1957 to 1961 he served in multiple executive functions at the Lebanon Steel Foundry in

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lebanon was founded by George Steitz in 1740 and was originally named ...

. From 1971 to 1994 he was president of Corporate Director, Inc. In the year 1941-1942 Louden served as president of the

as successor of Myron Henry Clark, and was succeeded by Percy S. Brown. In the years 1968-1970 he served as president of 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 ...

as successor of Alexander Trowbridge, and was succeeded by

James L. Hayes James L. (Jim) Hayes (1915 - May 16, 1989) was an American educator, dean of the School of Business Administration at Duquesne University, and former president of the American Management Association.Gilbreth Medal The Gilbreth Medal is named after Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr.Barbara Sicherman, Carol Hurd Green. ''Notable American Women: The Modern Period : a Biographical Dictionary.'' 1980. p. 273. and Lillian Gilbreth and is presented in recognition of excellen ...

by the Society for the Advancement of Management. In 1956 he received the

Worcester Reed Warner Medal Worcester Reed Warner (May 16, 1846 – June 25, 1929) was an American mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, manager, astronomer, and philanthropist. With Ambrose Swasey he cofounded the Warner & Swasey Company. Biography Life and career War ...

of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.''The Gazette and Daily from York,'' Pennsylvania. December 7, 1956. p. 15

Selected publications

* Louden, J. Keith, and J. Wayne Deegan. ''Wage incentives.'' Wiley, 1959. *

Joseph M. Juran Joseph Moses Juran (December 24, 1904 – February 28, 2008) was a Romanian-born American engineer, management consultant and author. He was an advocate for quality and quality management and wrote several books on the topics. He was the brother ...

and J. Keith Louden, ''The corporate director.'' 1966. * Louden, J. Keith, and Jack Zusman. ''Effective director in action.'' Amacom, 1975. * Louden, J. Keith. ''Managing at the top : roles and responsibilities of the chief executive.'' Amacom, 1977. * Louden, J. Keith. ''The director: professional's guide to effective board work.'' Amacom, 1982.

References

External links

Keith Louden knew it all - Shareholder Forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louden, James Keith 1905 births 1994 deaths American industrial engineers American business theorists Ohio State University Fisher College of Business alumni People from Duquesne, Pennsylvania Engineers from Pennsylvania 20th-century American engineers Presidents of the American Management Association