John Roberts Opel (January 5, 1925, in Kansas City, Missouri – November 3, 2011, in Fort Myers, Florida) was a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

computer businessman. He served eleven years as the President of IBM between 1974 and 1985. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of IBM from 1981 to 1985, and the Chairman of the board of directors from 1983 to 1986.

Early life and education

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Opel grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri where his father owned a hardware store. He majored in English at Westminster College in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

. He then fought in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

in World War II and earned an MBA degree from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in 1949.

Career

Upon graduation, Opel had two job offers, one to rewrite economics textbooks, and the other to take over his father's hardware business. While taking a fishing trip with his father and a family friend who worked for IBM, he was offered a third job as a salesman in central Missouri, and accepted. In 1959, Opel became executive assistant to IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson Jr., after which he rose rapidly, taking positions in manufacturing and public relations and other departments, and managed the introduction of the IBM System/360 mainframe computer in 1964. In 1974, he was elected president. In 1981, he became the CEO of IBM, then its chairman. Under his leadership, IBM developed and launched the first IBM

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

, forever changing the face of computing and IBM.

Death

A former long time resident of

Chappaqua, New York Chappaqua ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of New Castle, in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately north of New York City. The hamlet is served by the Chappaqua station of the Metro ...

, Opel died at the age of 86 at his Fort Myers, Florida home in 2011.

External links

The Colossus That Works - 1983 Time Cover story

References

1925 births 2011 deaths IBM employees American technology chief executives University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies 20th-century American businesspeople Westminster College (Missouri) alumni Businesspeople from Missouri American computer businesspeople {{US-CEO-stub