Randolph H. Guthrie (1905 – September 11, 1989) was an American lawyer and businessman who became the chairman of the

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers M ...

corporation.

Early life and education

Guthrie was born in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. He attended

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...

, and then

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, graduating magna cum laude.

Career

In 1931, he joined the New York law form of Mudge, Rose. In 1958, Guthrie was a senior partner in Mudge, Steen, Baldwin and Todd, the legal counsel in the United States for

Daimler Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group Aktiengesellschaft, AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It ...

. In October that year he was elected to the board of

. When

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

lost his bid for election as governor of California in 1962, he re-joined Mudge, Rose, Guthrie and Alexander. Of the partners, he is said to have felt closest to Guthrie.

John N. Mitchell John Newton Mitchell (September 15, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was the 67th Attorney General of the United States under President Richard Nixon and chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns. Prior to that, he had been a municipal ...

was another partner in the law firm, to be appointed

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

by Nixon after he was elected president in 1968. By 1963, Studebaker's automobile division was struggling. Guthrie was elected chairman of the board. At the August 8, 1963 board meeting he recommended that the board start planning on the assumption that Studebaker was going to stop manufacturing cars. Studebaker merged with

Worthington Corporation The Worthington Corporation was a diversified American manufacturer that had its roots in Worthington and Baker, a steam pump manufacturer founded in 1845. In 1967 it merged with Studebaker and Wagner Electric to form Studebaker-Worthington. This ...

on November 27, 1967. Guthrie became chairman of

Studebaker-Worthington Studebaker-Worthington was a diversified American manufacturer created in 1967 through a merger of Studebaker-Packard Corporation, Wagner Electric and Worthington Corporation. The company was in turn acquired by McGraw-Edison in 1979. Origins Fou ...

. Guthrie was chairman of the board until 1971. From 1969 to 1977 Guthrie was chairman of the board of UMC Industries, which manufactured money-changing equipment. In June 1970, Guthrie was invited to represent

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...

, then on the brink of bankruptcy and looking for government assistance. It was hoped that he could use his influence with Nixon. However

John A. Volpe John Anthony Volpe (; December 8, 1908November 11, 1994) was an American businessman, diplomat, and politician from Massachusetts. A son of Italian immigrants, he founded and owned a large construction firm. Politically, he was a Republican in i ...

Secretary of Transportation A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

, insisted that the railroad dismiss Guthrie due to the political risk if the tie to Nixon became public. Guthrie later became a senior partner of Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon.

Personal life

He died at home in

Hilton Head, South Carolina Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of C ...

of a heart attack on September 11, 1989, aged 83. His son, Randolph "Bob" Guthrie, became a plastic surgeon, and was one of the two inventors of the standard procedure for reconstructive breast surgery.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guthrie, Randolph H. 1905 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American lawyers The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni Harvard Law School alumni