Owen Robertson Cheatham

Owen Robertson Cheatham (1902-1970) was an American businessman. He founded Georgia-Pacific, a formerly publicly traded corporation on the New York Stock Exchange from 1949 to 2005, now a subsidiary of Koch Industries.

Biography

Early life

Owen Robertson Cheatham was born on July 9, 1902 in Concord, Campbell County, Virginia.[1][2][3] His father was Walter Beverly Cheatham (1870-1918) and his mother, Sallie Fenton Franklin Cheatham (1876-1962).[1][4] He had three sisters, Catherine Cheatham Bradley (1905-1980), Ethel Cheatham Miller (1907-1995), Beverly Franklin Cheatham (1910-1985), and two brothers, William Henry Cheatham (1915-1975), and Julian North Cheatham, who went on to serve as Vice President of Georgia-Pacific.[1][4] He attended New Concord Presbyterian Church in Concord.[2]

Career

In 1927, he founded the Georgia Hardwood Lumber Co., (now known as Georgia-Pacific), a wholesaler of hardwood lumber headquartered in Augusta, Georgia.[3][5][6][7] It was a publicly traded corporation on the New York Stock Exchange from 1949 to 2005.[5] Under his tenure, it became a $750 million enterprise with a $1 billion+ asset base.[3] It is now a subsidiary of Koch Industries.[5]

Personal life

He was married to Celeste Wickliffe Cheatham (1902-1977).[1][8] She collected thirty-seven pieces of Dalí-Jewels, which were exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia after her death.[8] He died on October 24, 1970.[1] He was buried in the New Concord Presbyterian Church Cemetery.[1]

Legacy

The Owen R. Cheatham Memorial Garden and Monument on the grounds of the New Concord Presbyterian Church in Concord, Virginia, is named after him.[2] The dedication of the garden took place on Sunday June 3, 1973.[2]

The Owen Robertson Cheatham Gallery at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire is named in his honor.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 FindAGrave
  2. 1 2 3 4 New Concord Presbyterian Church
  3. 1 2 3 Harvard Business School
  4. 1 2 FindAGrave: Sallie Fenton Franklin Cheatham
  5. 1 2 3 Georgia Pacific: History: 80 Years of Achievement
  6. ↑ Georgia-Pacific: History - 1920 thru 1950
  7. ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia
  8. 1 2 Rita Reif, 'Auctions', The New York Times, June 6, 1986
  9. ↑ The Owen Robertson Cheatham Gallery
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