Theodore F. Brophy (August 23, 1923 – August 3, 2020) was an American businessman, attorney, and telecommunications executive. He joined

GTE GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (1955–1982), was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System. The company operated from 1926, with roots tracing furth ...

in 1958, became the president in 1972, and the chairman and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

in 1976.

Early life and education

Brophy was born on August 23, 1923, in New York City, New York. He graduated from

Kent School Kent School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Founded in 1906, it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It educates around 520 boys and girls in grades 9–12. Kent was one of the first schools ...

in 1941,

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1944, and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1949.

Career

Brophy served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1944 to 1946 and was on the submarine USS ''Cabezon'' in the South Pacific during

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 ...

. While in the Navy, he rose to the rank of

lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), i ...

. He worked for the law firm

Dewey Ballantine Dewey Ballantine LLP was a corporate law firm headquartered in New York City. In 2007, Dewey Ballantine merged with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae to form Dewey & LeBoeuf. Dewey Ballantine underwent numerous name changes throughout its history a ...

from 1949 to 1955. He was

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for the Lummus Company from 1955 to 1958. While chairman and chief executive officer of GTE, Brophy strongly opposed trade protectionism and he took steps to reduce threat of a

corporate raid In business, a corporate raid is the process of buying a large stake in a corporation and then using shareholder voting rights to require the company to undertake novel measures designed to increase the share value, generally in opposition to t ...

or " greenmailing". In August 1988, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

appointed him as an

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

while serving as the chairman of a United States delegation for radio and satellite space communications during an international conference. In October 1985, President Reagan also appointed him chairman of the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee for a period of one year.''Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan 1985, Book II - June 29 to December 31, 1985'', published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC, 1988, Appendix A, page 1519. He served on the committee 1986–88. Throughout his career, he held various board and trustee positions.

Personal life

Brophy died on August 3, 2020, in Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brophy, Theodore F. 1923 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American lawyers Ambassadors of the United States American telecommunications industry businesspeople Businesspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut Harvard Law School alumni Kent School alumni United States Navy officers Yale University alumni