Robert D. Kennedy (November 8, 1932 – April 3, 2021) was an American businessman who served as president, CEO, and chairman of

Union Carbide Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) is an American chemical company headquartered in Seadrift, Texas. It has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company since 2001. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more f ...

Early life and education

Kennedy was born on November 8, 1932, 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 ...

, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four sons born to Lois ( Smith) Kennedy and T. Reed Kennedy. He attended

New Hampton School New Hampton School is an independent university-preparatory school, college preparatory high school in New Hampton, New Hampshire, United States. It has 330 students from over 30 states and 22 countries. The average class size is eleven, and the ...

New Hampton, New Hampshire New Hampton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,377 at the 2020 census. A winter sports resort area, New Hampton is home to George Duncan State Forest and to the New Hampton School, a private prepara ...

, graduating with the class of 1950. He then attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1955 and was elected into the

Sphinx Head Society The Sphinx Head Society is the oldest senior honor society at Cornell University. Sphinx Head recognizes Cornell senior men and women who have demonstrated respectable strength of character on top of dedication to leadership and service at Cornel ...

Career

After graduating from Cornell, Kennedy joined

as a trainee at the division's Edgewater Research Laboratory in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. In 1977 Kennedy became president of the Linde division of the company and built a $29 million industrial gases complex in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

. He was elected a senior vice president in 1981, and an executive vice president in 1982. In July 1985, Kennedy and Heinn F. Tomfohrde III, both executive vice presidents, were appointed as co-presidents of Union Carbide, sharing the responsibilities of Alec Flamm, the former president and chief operating officer who became vice chairman. Kennedy became the head of Carbide's plastics and chemicals businesses, while Tomfohrde, became head of its industrial products and services businesses. In March 1986, he became chief executive officer and, in December 1986, chairman, succeeding Warren M. Anderson in both roles. Under Kennedy's tenure, "the company trimmed its operations to focus on petrochemicals, its core operations." In 1990, he was succeeded as president by H. William Lichtenberger, president of Carbide's chemicals and plastics unit. Kennedy continued as chairman and chief executive. He retired as chief executive in 1995 and was succeeded by William H. Joyce, chief operating officer and president since 1993. Kennedy continued as chairman until he fully retired from the company on December 31, 1995.Chase Industries Appoints Robert D. Kennedy to Board
/ref> He also served as a director of

Kmart Corporation Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...

, Lion Ore Mining International Ltd.,

Sunoco, Inc. Sunoco LP is an American master limited partnership organized under Delaware state law and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Dating back to 1886, the company has transformed from a vertically integrated energy company to a distributor of fuels ...

, and Union Camp Corporation.

Personal life

On January 28, 1956, Kennedy married Sally Duff. Together, they were the parents of Robert B. Kennedy, Thomas Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy and Melissa ( Kennedy) Jurick. Kennedy died on April 3, 2021, at his home in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...

References

External links

Film: Hunting the Corporate Killers
(transcript) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Robert D. 1932 births 2021 deaths Cornell University College of Engineering alumni Businesspeople from Pittsburgh New Hampton School alumni American chief executives