Harvey Ladew Williams Jr.

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Harvey Ladew Williams Jr. (1900–1986) was an American businessman who received induction into the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 1962 for 47 years of service to the French government. [1] During his career, Williams served as president of several financial and industrial firms, including Air Investors Inc. (1928–1933), Fidelity International Corporation (1963–1965), and Philco International (1957–1962). He also served as president of the United States Council for International Business, the American affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, from 1973 to 1977. After his retirement, the council named him as their honorary president. [2]

The Legion of Honour is the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and retained by all later French governments and régimes.

Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In North America, it is the Philco brand owned by Philips. In other markets, it is the Philco International brand owned by Electrolux.

The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) is an independent business advocacy group that was founded in 1945 to promote free trade and help represent U.S. business in the then-new United Nations. One of its primary goals is expanding market access for U.S. products and services abroad. The organization is strongly in favor of open markets and sensible regulation.

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Early life and education

Williams was born in Stamford, Connecticut on July 10, 1900. He graduated from the Morristown School (now Morristown-Beard School) in Morristown, New Jersey in 1916. Williams then received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1920. Two years later, he completed his master's of science degree in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (also in Cambridge, Massachusetts) in 1922. [3]

Stamford, Connecticut City in Connecticut, United States

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643. As of 2017, according to the Census Bureau, the population of Stamford had risen to 131,000, making it the third-largest city in the state and the seventh-largest city in New England. Approximately 30 miles from Manhattan, Stamford is in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Metro area which is a part of the Greater New York metropolitan area.

Morristown, New Jersey Town in New Jersey, United States

Morristown is a town and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Morristown has been called "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the war for independence from Great Britain. Today this history is visible in a variety of locations throughout the town that collectively make up Morristown National Historical Park.

Harvard University private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with about 6,700 undergraduate students and about 15,250 postgraduate students. Established in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, clergyman John Harvard, Harvard is the United States' oldest institution of higher learning, and its history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the world's most prestigious universities.

Executive leadership

During his career, Williams served as vice president of overseas operations for H.J. Heinz Company (1946–1953) and vice president and general manager of the international division of Avco Corporation (1953–1957). [2] He chaired the Connecticut Aeronautical Development Commission from 1939 to 1943. Williams also worked as an international business consultant for 12 years (1966–1978). [3]

Ambulance service during World War I

Leaving for France in 1917, Williams served as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service from April to November of that year. He assisted the French Army's offenses in the Verdun region. During his time with the unit, they received France's Croix de Guerre for heroic actions during a bombing. [3] In 1918, Williams joined the Ambulance Service of the American Red Cross. Serving from May 12 to December 18, he aided the Italian Army's offenses during the Battle of the Piave River. [4]

French Army Land warfare branch of Frances military

The French Army, officially the Ground Army to distinguish it from the French Air Force, Armée de l'Air or Air Army, is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other four components of the Armed Forces. The current Chief of Staff of the French Army (CEMAT) is General Jean-Pierre Bosser, a direct subordinate of the Chief of the Defence Staff (CEMA). General Bosser is also responsible, in part, to the Ministry of the Armed Forces for organization, preparation, use of forces, as well as planning and programming, equipment and Army future acquisitions. For active service, Army units are placed under the authority of the Chief of the Defence Staff (CEMA), who is responsible to the President of France for planning for, and use, of forces.

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Italian Army land warfare branch of Italys military forces

The Italian Army is the land-based component of the Italian Armed Forces of the Italian Republic. The army's history dates back to the unification of Italy in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China, Libya, Northern Italy against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, Abyssinia before World War II and in World War II in Albania, Greece, North Africa, Russia and Italy itself. During the Cold War, the army prepared itself to defend against a Warsaw Pact invasion from the east. Since the end of the Cold War, the army has seen extensive peacekeeping service and combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank and among its aircraft the Mangusta attack helicopter, recently deployed in UN missions. The headquarters of the Army General Staff are located in Rome, at the back of the Presidential Palace. The army is an all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel.

Family

Williams married Gertrude Elizabeth Hoxie in 1927. The couple had four children together: Harvey III, Eleanor, Sheila, and Hannah. [3] After they divorced, he married Brenda Hedstrom Boocock in 1943.

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References

  1. ↑ Harvard Alumni Bulletin. Harvard Alumni Association. 65. 1962.Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 1 2 "Harvey L. Williams Dies at 85; An International Consultant". The New York Times. 28 March 1986.
  3. 1 2 3 4 The Harvey Ladew Williams II Papers, 1917–1918
  4. ↑ "Harvey L. Williams". Aeronautical Industry. 12-13 (May 17). 1930.
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