Philip B. Hofmann (May 25, 1909 – December 29, 1986) was an American businessman. He was the first non-family-member to serve as chairman and chief executive officer of the healthcare firm Johnson & Johnson.
Biography
Philip Hofmann was born on May 25, 1909, in Ottumwa, Iowa, where his father was a pharmacist. He graduated from
Ottumwa High School
Ottumwa High School is a public high school located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Ottumwa Community School District, and is the district's only high school. It was established in 1923. The school sports mascot is a bull ...
in 1926.Myers, William S "Prominent Families of New Jersey" Clearfield. Accessed June 28, 2010. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1930 at the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
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 d ...
'', January 2, 1987. Accessed June 28, 2010.
Career
He was hired by Johnson & Johnson in 1931, starting work there as a shipping clerk. He went to work for Johnson & Johnson's newly formed Ortho Products division in Linden, New Jersey, and was the unit's president by 1944. He was named as Johnson & Johnson's chief executive officer in 1963 as the first non-family-member to lead the company, succeeding Robert Wood Johnson II. He served as CEO until 1974, when he was succeeded by Richard B. Sellars. He helped establish the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...
, the largest philanthropy in the United States devoted exclusively to health and health care.
After having been nominated to the position by
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...
William T. Cahill
William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46th governor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. A Republican, Cahill previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, repr ...
in July 1973, he resigned as one of the six commissioners representing the Garden State on the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
, citing a conflict with Governor
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982.
A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a priva ...
Monmouth Beach, New Jersey
Monmouth Beach is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 3,279,Surfside, Florida. He was an avid
horse breeder
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...
four-in-hand
The four-in-hand knot is a method of tying a necktie. It is also known as a simple knot or schoolboy knot, due to its simplicity and style. Some reports state that carriage drivers tied their reins with a four-in-hand knot, while others claim ...
. He died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
at age 77 on December 29, 1986, at the Miami Heart Institute in Miami Beach, Florida. He was survived by his wife, the former Georgia Felhaber, and two daughters and two grandchildren.