Jeffrey Wigand

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Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (born 1942, New York City) was vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky.

He became known as a whistleblower when, on the CBS news program 60 Minutes, he exposed his company's practice of "impact boosting" — intentionally manipulating the effect of nicotine in cigarettes.

Wigand claimed that he was subsequently harassed and received anonymous threats on his life.

He was portrayed in the movie The Insider by Russell Crowe.

[edit] Biography

Jeffrey Wigand grew up in the Bronx in a Roman Catholic family. During his childhood his parents moved the family to Pleasant Valley, New York.

After a brief time in the military (including a short assignment in Vietnam), he earned a Master's and Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo. He met his first wife, Linda, in 1970 while attending a Judo class. Shortly after their marriage, Linda developed multiple sclerosis. They would eventually divorce.

Prior to working for Brown and Williamson, Dr. Wigand worked for several health care companies, including Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. In addition he was employed as general manager and marketing director at Union Carbide in Japan and as a senior vice president at Technicon Instruments. While working at Johnson and Johnson, he met his second wife Lucretia in 1981.

Wigand began work for Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp. in January of 1989 and on March 24, 1993 he was fired. After this event, he reportedly "blew the whistle" on Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp.; his personal life was destroyed. One and half years later, Wigand began teaching high school, which he continues to do to this day.