Robert H. Krieble (August 22, 1916 – May 8, 1997) was an American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

who co-founded the Loctite Corporation in 1953 along with his father, Vernon K. Krieble, and was a leading figure in the company in various capacities until 1986, having served as chief executive from 1964 to 1985. In 1978, Krieble joined the board of

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

, where he became vice chairman in 1985. He also served on the board of the Free Congress Foundation.

Early life and education

Krieble obtained a chemistry degree from

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Fr ...

Haverford, Pennsylvania Haverford is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Lower Merio ...

, in 1935, and a doctorate from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

in 1939.

Career

After several years at the

Socony Vacuum Oil Company Mobil Oil Corporation, now known as just Mobil, is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, formerly known as Exxon, which took its current name after it and Mobil merged in 1999. A direct descenda ...

, Krieble joined

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

in 1943. "Mr. Krieble remained with General Electric, rising from research chemist to general manager of the chemical development department, until he left in 1956 to work full time at Loctite", according to profile in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' In 1989, he formed the Krieble Institute "to promote democracy and economic freedom in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

". With the institute, "he made more than 80 trips over there, conducting seminars, meeting with leaders and training a full-time network of over 20,000 field experts to establish political economic reform." In 1990, US President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

appointed him to the Executive Committee of Citizens Democracy Corps.

Death

Krieble died May 8, 1997, at his home in

Old Lyme, Connecticut Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, bounded on the west by the Connecticut River, on the south by the Long Island Sound, on the east by the town of East Lyme, and on the north by the town of Lyme. The town ...

, at age 80.

Legacy

runs a "Robert H. Krieble Lecture" series in his honor, and since 1998 provides a "Robert H. Krieble Fellow in Coalition Relations" based on an endowment by Krieble's family. Krieble donated about $100,000 a year to Heritage for almost a decade. Krieble was awarded a "Freedom Flame" award by the

Center for Security Policy The Center for Security Policy (CSP) is a US far-right, anti-Muslim, Washington, D.C.–based think tank. The founder and former president of the organization is Frank J. Gaffney Jr., who now serves as the group's executive chairman. The c ...

in 1994.

References

External links

"Robert H. Krieble, 80, Dies; Was Co-Founder of Loctite"
''

'', May 18, 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Krieble, Robert H 1916 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American chemists Haverford College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni The Heritage Foundation people