Norton Simon

Norton Simon
Norton Simon
Born	Norton Winfred Simon; 5 February 1907 (age 119); Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died	2 June 1993 (aged 86); Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Industrial magnate, philanthropist, art collector
Years active	1927–1969 (business), 1969–1993 (philanthropy)
Known for	Founder of Norton Simon Inc., extensive art collection, Norton Simon Museum

Norton Winfred Simon (February 5, 1907 – June 2, 1993) was a prominent American industrial magnate and philanthropist, recognized as one of the wealthiest individuals in the United States during his lifetime. At the time of his passing, his fortune was estimated to be nearly US$10 billion.

Originating from a Jewish family in Portland, Oregon, Simon's father managed a wholesale merchandise business. Following the death of his mother, the family relocated to San Francisco. Simon briefly attended the University of California, Berkeley but left to establish a sheet metal enterprise. Subsequently, he purchased a bankrupt orange juice bottling facility in Fullerton, California, which he rebranded as Val Vita Food Products Company. He diversified its offerings to include an array of fruit and vegetable products. Eventually, Simon sold this business to Hunt's Foods and retired in 1969.

During retirement, Simon dedicated himself to philanthropic efforts and held board memberships at institutions such as the University of California, Reed College, the Los Angeles Music Center, and the Institute for Advanced Study. His vast art collection is exhibited at the Norton Simon Museum located in Pasadena, California. After his death, his second spouse, actress Jennifer Jones, took on the role of emeritus director of the museum until 2009.

Early life

Born in Portland, Oregon to Jewish parents Myer and Lillian Simon (née Gluckman), Norton Simon was the eldest among three siblings. His father owned a wholesale goods outlet named Simon Sells For Less. At age fourteen, Simon lost his mother due to complications from type 1 diabetes. The financial situation of the family worsened during the Great Depression.

At sixteen years old, Simon moved with his family to San Francisco where they stayed with relatives. He completed his education at Lowell High School in 1923 and enrolled at University of California, Berkeley in 1925, encouraged by his father.

Business career

Simon departed from Berkeley after only six weeks to launch a company specializing in sheet metal distribution. In 1927, he invested $7,000 in a failing orange juice bottling plant situated in Fullerton, California, which he renamed Val Vita Food Products Company. He broadened its product range by adding various fruits and vegetables and introduced canning technology.

Simon eventually sold Val Vita to Hunt's Foods in exchange for a controlling stake in the merged enterprise. By 1943, he had rebranded it as Hunt Food and Industries, where he enforced rigorous cost management and pioneered marketing strategies. During and following World War II, Simon emphasized product prominence by securing full-page advertisements featuring color images of Hunt's ketchup and tomato sauce in Vogue and Life. His assertive advertising campaign popularized the slogan "Hunt for the best," establishing Hunt Foods as a dominant food processor on the West Coast by 1945.

Leveraging profits generated from Hunt Foods, Simon acquired undervalued companies through his holding entity Norton Simon Inc., created in 1968 by merging Hunt, McCall's Publishing, and Canada Dry. His holdings included McCall's Publishing, the Saturday Review of Literature, Canada Dry Corporation, Max Factor cosmetics, television production company Talent Associates, and Avis Car Rental. Numerous subsidiaries operated on an international scale.

In 1983, Norton Simon Inc. was purchased by Esmark, which subsequently merged with Beatrice Foods in 1984. Beatrice Foods was later acquired by ConAgra Foods, Inc. in 1990.

Art collection

Simon built an extensive private art collection that encompassed Impressionists, Old Masters, contemporary, and indigenous artworks. During the 1960s, he allocated $6 million to acquire close to 800 pieces of art along with real estate, including a property located at 18 East 79th Street in Manhattan, purchased from the Duveen Gallery, renowned for old master paintings. Specialists such as critic Clement Greenberg and Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Theodore Rousseau examined these acquisitions and identified numerous incorrect attributions. Over time, Simon sold a significant portion of the collection but retained roughly 130 items—primarily paintings, supplemented by sculptures, porcelains, and a cape associated with Charles IV of Spain. Among his holdings are three authenticated Rembrandt paintings, which are particularly notable within the context of Rembrandt in Southern California.

Simon held the position of trustee at the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science and Art and was a benefactor of the LA County Museum of Art. Initially, he loaned most of his collection to this institution but later innovated the concept of a "museum without walls" by lending works internationally.

In 1972, Simon acquired a tenth-century South Indian bronze statue of Nataraja (the dancing Shiva) for $900,000 from dealer Ben Heller. The government of India asserted that the piece had been illicitly removed from a temple in Tamil Nadu and smuggled overseas. Simon was quoted in The New York Times (May 12, 1973) admitting to smuggling but subsequently denied this claim in the Los Angeles Times, asserting the statue was legally imported and condemning theft in art. After nine years on display at his museum, Simon agreed to return the Nataraja to India in 1976.

In pursuit of a permanent venue for his collection exceeding 4,000 objects, Simon assumed control of the financially struggling Pasadena Museum of Modern Art in 1972; it was renamed the Norton Simon Museum two years later. In 1987, an "agreement in principle" was announced to transfer his collections from two Simon foundations to UCLA. The arrangement proposed keeping most artworks housed in Pasadena under joint management while constructing a UCLA museum to house part of the collection. However, Simon retracted this proposal three months afterward.

Later years

The family was profoundly impacted by the suicide of Simon's son Robert in 1969. Following this tragedy, Simon divorced Lucille Ellis in 1970 and married actress Jennifer Jones in 1971. Although he stepped back from direct business operations in 1969, he maintained considerable influence through appointments to bodies such as the University of California Board of Regents and the Carnegie Commission on the Future of Higher Education. Additionally, he served on boards including those of Reed College, the Los Angeles Music Center, the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, and the Institute for Advanced Study.

In 1970, Simon opposed U.S. Senator George Murphy's campaign for renomination in the Republican primary; Murphy won that primary but was defeated by Democrat John V. Tunney in the general election. Meanwhile, Republican Ronald Reagan secured a second term as governor of California.

Death

After being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome in 1984, Simon remained engaged with the Norton Simon Museum until he passed away from pneumonia at his residence in Bel Air on June 2, 1993.

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