Francis Levien | |
---|---|
Born | 1905 |
Died | June 15, 1995 89–90) | (aged
Other names | Francis S. Levien |
Alma mater | Columbia University (BA, LLB) |
Occupation(s) | Lawyer, industrialist |
Employer | Gulf and Western |
Known for | Namesake of Levien Gymnasium |
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. [1]
Born in 1905, Levien graduated from Columbia College in 1926 and Columbia Law School in 1928. [2] 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, resulting in the formation of PepsiCo. [3] [4] [5] He was also a shareholder of the company. [6] [7]
He also formed a partnership with the New England paper merchant Harry E. Gould and turned a marginal steelmaker, the Steel Materials Corporation, into a thriving money-maker from World War II military contracts. [8] [9]
In 1950, Levien bought a defunct steel mill in Ohio and put it back in operation as the Ohio River Steel Company. [9] 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 Gulf and Western Industries. [10] Levien subsequently became a director of Gulf and Western until his retirement in 1985. [11] He was also a director of several companies, including Kansas City Southern Industries and 20th Century Fox. [12] [13]
In 1962, he donated $1 million towards building a new gymnasium at Columbia University that was named in his honor. [2] [14]
Levien married Janice L. Currick in 1936 at the Savoy-Plaza Hotel. [15] He died on June 15 at Mount Sinai Hospital and was survived by his wife, a daughter, Lorna Lubash, and two grandchildren.
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo. As of 2023, Pepsi is the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long-standing rivalry in what has been called the "cola wars".
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of its products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company and Frito-Lay, Inc., PepsiCo has since expanded from its namesake product Pepsi Cola to an immensely diversified range of food and beverage brands. The largest and most recent acquisition was Pioneer Foods in 2020 for US$1.7 billion and prior to it was buying the Quaker Oats Company in 2001, which added the Gatorade brand to the Pepsi portfolio and Tropicana Products in 1998.
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