Robert J. Thorne

Robert J. Thorne
Robert J. Thorne
	File:Robert J. Thorne 1918.jpg Robert Thorne in 1918
Born	Robert Julius Thorne; Template:Birth date
Died	March 20, 1955 (aged 80)
Occupation	businessman

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Robert J. Thorne, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 20255 sources

Robert Julius Thorne (February 23, 1875 – March 20, 1955) was an American entrepreneur who served as president of Montgomery Ward between 1917 and 1920.

Life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, in February 1875, Robert Thorne was the son of George R. Thorne. His father, a former major during the American Civil War, co-established Montgomery Ward alongside his brother-in-law, A. Montgomery Ward.^[1]^[2]

Thorne earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1897, where he was involved with the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Immediately after graduating from Cornell, Robert began working at Montgomery Ward’s branch in Kansas City, Missouri. He advanced to branch manager before relocating to Chicago to oversee the company's main store as manager and also serve as a vice president. In 1917, following the unexpected death of his elder brother William C. Thorne—then president of Montgomery Ward—Robert J. Thorne took over as president.^[1]^[2]

He married Katherine B. Sterrett.^[1] Together they had five daughters: Roberta, Katherine, Laura, Narcissa, and Ellen Catherine.^[4] Notably, his mother-in-law Catherine Dietrich Willey perished in the 1915 sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania.Template:Fact

Employers' Association of Chicago

In 1902, Thorne was instrumental in founding the Employers' Association of Chicago. He played a prominent role during the 1905 Chicago Teamsters' strike. Midway through that year, allegations surfaced accusing him of bribing transportation company owners to implement a lockout against their unionized employees with the intent to provoke a strike.^[5]

U.S. Army service

Throughout World War I, Thorne contributed as a civilian within the United States Army. He officially joined the Army on January 1, 1918, serving as a volunteer without pay. Thorne was appointed as an aide to George W. Goethals, who was then Acting Quartermaster General. In this role, Thorne played a key part in overhauling the Army's struggling logistics and supply operations. On March 8, 1918, Goethals designated Thorne as "Assistant to the Acting Quartermaster General" and decreed to his forces that all directives issued by Thorne would carry the same authority as those from the Acting Quartermaster General himself. After the conclusion of the war, Thorne departed from government duties.

During his service in the Army, Thorne mentored Brigadier General Robert E. Wood in logistics management. Wood later advanced to become vice-president and eventually chairman of Sears, Roebuck and Company, a principal rival to Montgomery Ward.

In recognition of his effective reorganization of the Army’s supply system and significant enhancement of U.S. military capabilities during World War I, Thorne received the Distinguished Service Medal in 1919.

In 1918, Thorne constructed a 28-room residence named White Oaks on a 14-acre (57,000 m²) property located on Sheridan Road in Lake Forest, Illinois. This estate emerged as a prominent example of luxury homes in the region. During the 1930s, he served as president of the board of trustees at Lake Forest Academy.

Retirement and death

Due to declining health, Thorne stepped down from his role as president of Montgomery Ward in 1920. Following his retirement, he and his wife embarked on extensive travels for several years.

In 1942, White Oaks was demolished, prompting the Thornes to relocate to Coronado, California. They later moved to La Jolla, California in 1950. Thorne passed away there on March 20, 1955, after enduring a prolonged illness.

Katherine Thorne died in 1963.

Honors

Cornell University honors Thorne through the Robert Julius Thorne Chair in Political Economy within its Department of Economics.

Additionally, a fund bearing his name was established at the Delta Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon at Cornell University through his endowment.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Obit
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Obit2
↑ Who Was Who in America, Marquis-Who's Who, Inc., 1966.
↑ Thorne, Katherine Sterrit (11 August 1963). "Widow of Ward Executive Dies at 86 in LaJolla". Chicago Tribune.
↑ Andrew Wender Cohen, The Racketeer's Progress: Chicago and the Struggle for the Modern American Economy, 1900-1940, Cambridge University Press, 2004; "Labor War in Chicago," The New York Times, November 1, 1903; "Chicago Strike Leads to 49 Indictments," The New York Times, July 2, 1905; "Project to End Strike," Chicago Daily Tribune, June 18, 1905.

External links

Media related to Robert J. Thorne at Wikimedia Commons

[Obit-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Obit

[Obit2-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Obit2

[3] Who Was Who in America, Marquis-Who's Who, Inc., 1966.

[4] Thorne, Katherine Sterrit (11 August 1963). "Widow of Ward Executive Dies at 86 in LaJolla". Chicago Tribune.

[5] Andrew Wender Cohen, The Racketeer's Progress: Chicago and the Struggle for the Modern American Economy, 1900-1940, Cambridge University Press, 2004; "Labor War in Chicago," The New York Times, November 1, 1903; "Chicago Strike Leads to 49 Indictments," The New York Times, July 2, 1905; "Project to End Strike," Chicago Daily Tribune, June 18, 1905.

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