George Weissman (July 12, 1919 – July 24, 2009) was an American businessman and former chairman and CEO of Philip Morris (now

Altria Altria Group, Inc. (previously known as Philip Morris Companies, Inc.) is an American corporation and one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes and related products. It operates worldwide and is headquartered in ...

Biography

Weissman was born in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

on July 12, 1919. After graduating from

Townsend Harris High School Townsend Harris High School at Queens College (THHS) is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks a ...

, he studied business at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

(whose business school became

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the college operates und ...

), edited a small weekly newspaper in New Jersey and then became a reporter for ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

'' of

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, he enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, served for more than three years as a submarine destroyer commander and on an anti-personnel naval ship. Following military service, he made a career change to

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

, first working at

Samuel Goldwyn Productions Samuel Goldwyn Productions was an American film production company founded by Samuel Goldwyn in 1923, and active through 1959. Personally controlled by Goldwyn and focused on production rather than distribution, the company developed into the m ...

and later becoming a public relations consultant at

Benjamin Sonnenberg Benjamin Sonnenberg (July 12, 1901 – September 6, 1978) was a Russian Empire-born American public relations consultant who represented celebrities and major corporations. He was best known for the lavish entertaining he hosted for clients and ...

, where Philip Morris was a client.Martin, Douglas
"George Weissman, Leader at Philip Morris and in the Arts in New York, Dies at 90 "
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 27, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009. In 1952, Weissman joined Philip Morris as assistant to the president and director of public relations. The next year, he was elected vice-president of the company, handling not only public relations and market research, but also new product development and packaging. He joined the board of directors in 1958 and went on to become chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Philip Morris International, leading its expansion overseas. He was appointed president of the corporation in 1967, vice-chairman in 1973 and chairman and chief executive officer in 1978. Weissman retired in 1984, but continued to serve the company in various advisory roles. He also joined the board of directors of

Gulf+Western Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. Originally, the company focused on manufacturing and resource extraction. Beginning in 1966, and continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company ...

, which later became Paramount Communications, a position he held for the next decade. His marketing inspiration came from William K. Howell, who is credited with the success of Marlboro cigarettes and the

Miller Brewing Company The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the M ...

. Howell and Weissman introduced the Marlboro Man, an advertising figure who help propel Philip Morris to a leading position in the tobacco industry. Weissman's volunteer pursuits included serving as board chairman of

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

, founding board member of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a trustee of the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude ...

, and a director of the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry. His political work landed him on the

master list of Nixon political opponents Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

's Weissman School of Arts and Sciences is named for him and his wife, Mildred. He died at age 90 on July 24, 2009 in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

, due to declining health, exacerbated by an accidental fall at his home in

Rye, New York Rye is a coastal suburb of New York City in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. The City of Rye, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the Town until it r ...

References

*Weissman, George (December 2, 1998)
First Annual Weissman Lecture on the Influence of the Arts on Society.Corporate history
via Altria {{DEFAULTSORT:Weissman, George 1919 births 2009 deaths Accidental deaths from falls United States Navy personnel of World War II Baruch College alumni Businesspeople from New York (state) People from the Bronx People from Rye, New York United States Navy officers Townsend Harris High School alumni Jewish American military personnel 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews