George Skakel
George Skakel | |
---|---|
Born |
Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | July 16, 1892
Died |
October 3, 1955 63) near Union City, Oklahoma, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Airplane crash |
Resting place | Saint Mary's Cemetery |
Occupation | Businessman |
Years active | 1919–1955 |
Employer | The Great Lakes Coal & Coke Company |
Religion | Protestantism |
Spouse(s) |
Ann Brannack (m. 1918–1955; their deaths) |
Children |
|
George Skakel (July 16, 1892 – October 3, 1955) was an American businessman and the founder of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, currently part of SGL Carbon.
Early life and career
Skakel was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Grace Mary (Jordan) and James Curtis Skakel, who were of Dutch Protestant religion.[1][2][3] He had an elder brother William (1888–1946), a younger sister Margaret (1894–1983), and a younger brother James Jr. (1899–1984).[4]
Skakel began his career as a railroad shipping clerk earning $8 a week.[3] While employed by the railroad, he noticed the price volatility of coal fines for coke, which is a byproduct of producing more-in-demand forms of coal. At most times, the coal mining companies were forced to store the coke or pay to have it disposed of in rivers. Skakel came up with an idea to purchase the coke from coal companies. In May 1919, Skakel and two partners put up $1,000 and established The Great Lakes Coal & Coke Company.[4] The company would purchase the coke from coal companies and then reprocessed the coke into clean carbon which was used to produce aluminum. By 1929, Skakel had become a multi-millionaire.[5] The business eventually grew into The Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, which became the one of the largest privately held corporations in the United States. After Skakel's death in 1955, his sons George Jr. (who also died in a plane crash, in 1966) and James III took over the business.[6]
Personal life
Skakel married his former secretary Ann Brannack (1892–1955) in 1917.[4] Brannack was a devout Roman Catholic.[3][6] They had seven children:
- Georgeann Skakel (1918–1983)
- James Curtis Skakel III (1921–1998)
- George Skakel, Jr. (1922–1966)
- Rushton Walter Skakel (1923–2003), father of Michael Skakel
- Patricia Sistine Skakel (1925–2000)
- Ethel Skakel (born 1928) would go on to marry Senator Robert F. Kennedy in June 1950.[7]
- Ann Skakel (born 1933).[8]
Death
![](../I/m/George_Skakel_Gravesite_December_2013.jpg)
On October 3, 1955, Skakel and his wife Ann were killed when the private plane they were traveling in crashed near Union City, Oklahoma.[9] The two are buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut.[10]
References
- ↑ David, Lester (1971). Ethel: The Story of Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy. World Publishing Company. p. 4.
- ↑ Sheenan, Susan (November 3, 1969). "Heaven Still Has Pearly Gates, Angels, For Ethel". The Palm Beach Post. p. C-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hilty, James (2000). Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector. Temple University Press. p. 54. ISBN 1-439-90519-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Oppenheimer, Jerry (1995). The Other Mrs. Kennedy: An Intimate and Revealing Look at the Hidden Life of Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Macmillan. p. 23. ISBN 0-312-95600-2.
- ↑ Dumas, Timothy (1998). Greentown: Murder and Mystery in Greenwich, America's Wealthiest Community. Arcade Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 1-559-70441-1.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Levitt, Leonard (2004). Conviction: Solving the Moxley Murder: A Reporter and a Detective's Twenty-Year Search for Justice. HarperCollins. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-060-54430-9.
- ↑ Lewine, Francine (May 22, 1969). "Ethel - "Most Admired" - Ends Year of Mourning". The Palm Beach Post. p. C-14.
- ↑ "A Dynasty Strained". nytimes.com. November 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Robert Kennedy's Wife's Parents Die in Plane Crash". The Daily Boston Globe. October 5, 1955. p. 29.
- ↑ (David 1971, p. 226)
Additional sources
- Rancho Palos Verdes - Ginger Garnett Clark - Google Books
- Fight of the Century - Timothy Dumas - Google Books
- Murder in Greenwich - Mark Fuhrman, Stephen Weeks - Google Books
- Robert Kennedy and His Times - Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. - Google Books