Lee Iacocca

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca (/ˌ.əˈkkə/ EYE-ə-KOH-kə; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive and writer. He was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Iacocca created the Ford Pinto in 1971 and the Ford Mustang in 1964. He was best known for his time as chairman of the Chrysler Corporation from 1979 until his retirement in 1992. From 1970 to 1978, he was President of the Ford Motor Company.[1]

Iacocca studied at Lehigh University and at Princeton University.

Governor Robert P. Casey wanted to make Iacocca a United States Senator after John Heinz's death, but Iacocca declined. Iacocca was an Independent who supported the presidential bids of George W. Bush, John Kerry, Bill Richardson and Mitt Romney.[2] He considered running for President in 1988, but declined.

Portfolio named Iacocca the 18th-greatest American CEO of all time.[3]

In 1984, he released his autobiography. In 2007, Iacocca released Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, a New York Times bestseller.

Iacocca died on July 2, 2019 at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California at the age of 94. The cause was problems from Parkinson's disease.[4]

References[change | change source]

  1. Hakim, Danny (July 19, 2005). "Iacocca, Away From the Grind, Still Has a Lot to Say". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  2. Lee Iacocca endorses Mitt Romney as man of experience, Detroit Free Press, October 18, 2012
  3. "Portfolio's Best American CEOs of All Time: #18. Lee Iacocca". CNBC.com.
  4. "Famed Auto Executive Lee Iacocca Dies at 94". The Wall Street Journal. July 2, 2019.

Other websites[change | change source]