biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1872–1957)
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| biography:
| Engineer, businessman, and public official, born in St Louis, Missouri, USA. He joined Western Electric Co (1895) and became vice-president (1913) in charge of domestic sales and international operations, reorganizing Western Electric's foreign interests. A parallel concern of his was social justice, and in 1897–9 he lived and worked at Hull House in Chicago, marrying a social worker who also worked there. In 1919 he joined General Electric as the first president of its subsidiary International General Electric, where he promoted international corporate support for European reconstruction following World War 1. As president of General Electric (1922), with Owen D Young chairing the board, he recognized a corporation's responsibility to its employees, customers, and the industry. His ‘new capitalism’ vision, called the Swope Plan (1931), became the basis for the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, and he helped implement the New Deal. He headed community chest campaigns, founded the National Health and Welfare Retirement Association, and, retiring in 1939, chaired the New York City Housing Authority. His causes included co-operative housing, health insurance, and Zionism. In 1951 he chaired the Institute of Pacific Relations. |
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