Herbert Vollrath Kohler Jr. (February 20, 1939 – September 3, 2022) was an American billionaire businessman, a member of the Kohler family of Wisconsin, and the executive chairman of the

Kohler Company Kohler Co., is an American manufacturing company founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, based in Kohler, Wisconsin. Kohler is best known for its plumbing products, but the company also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and El ...

, a manufacturing and hospitality company in

Kohler, Wisconsin Kohler is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Sheboygan River. The population was 2,195 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Sheboygan metropolitan statistical ...

, best known for its

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses piping, pipes, valves, piping and plumbing fitting, plumbing fixtures, Storage tank, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. HVAC, Heating and co ...

products,

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

s, and resorts, with the latter two fields of business directly entered into under his chairmanship. Before his death, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' estimated the net worth of him and his family at US$8.8 billion.

Early life and education

Kohler was born February 20, 1939, to Ruth DeYoung Kohler and Herbert Vollrath Kohler Sr., who ran the Kohler Company from 1937 until his death. He is related to other former company presidents, including Walter J. Kohler Sr. and Walter J. Kohler Jr. He graduated from

The Choate School Choate Rosemary Hall ( ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1890, it took its present name and began a co-educational system with the 1978 merger of ''The Ch ...

in 1957 and chaired the school's board of trustees from 2005 to 2010. He graduated in 1965 from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

with a degree in Industrial Administration and went to work for the company. In June 1972, he was elected chairman of the board and chief executive officer at the age of 33.

Business career

As a teenager, Kohler worked as a laborer or technician for every division of Kohler Co., which specialised in manufacturing plumbing products. He was awarded a bachelor's degree in industrial administration in 1965 by

. After graduation, he joined the Kohler Company full-time and, in 1972, was appointed chief executive officer. The National Kitchen and Bath Hall of Fame inducted Kohler in its founding year of 1989, followed by the National Housing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization. It was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential ...

inducted him into its U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2006. Kohler has also received the "Legend in Leadership Award" from the Chief Executive Leadership Institute of the

Yale School of Management The Yale School of Management (also known as Yale SOM) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. The school awards the Master of Business Admi ...

. As of 2021, Kohler's net worth was $9.8 billion. In April 2015, the company announced Kohler was stepping down as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and relinquishing the title to his son,

David Kohler Karger David Kohler (born June 9, 1966) is an American businessman, serving as the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kohler Company. He is the fourth generation of the Kohler family of Wisconsin to lead the company since its inception ...

, while remaining executive chairman.

Golf

Kohler was a golf fan, and the Kohler Company owns and operates four courses designed by

Pete Dye Paul Dye Jr. (December 29, 1925 – January 9, 2020), commonly referred to as Pete Dye, was an American golf course designer and a member of a family of course designers. He was married to fellow designer and amateur champion Alice Dye. Earl ...

. The first course was constructed at Blackwolf Run, Wisconsin, in 1988. A second 18-hole course was added to the site in 1990 and hosted the 1998 U.S. Women's Open. In 1998, Kohler added 36 holes at

Whistling Straits Whistling Straits is one of two 36-hole links-style golf courses associated with Destination Kohler, a luxury golf resort owned and operated by the Kohler Company in Kohler, Wisconsin. The other course is Blackwolf Run, located in the Villa ...

, also in Wisconsin, which has hosted the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...

in 2004, 2010 and 2015, the U.S. Senior Open in 2007, and the

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

in 2021. In 2009, Kohler purchased "one of the sport's most famous buildings", Hamilton Hall, now known as the Hamilton Grand, a collection of 26 luxury apartments. Kohler also owned the Old Course Hotel in

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...

, Scotland.

Kohler Environmental Center

In 2012, the Kohler Environmental Center (KEC) at

Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall ( ) is a Independent school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational, College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1890, it took its present na ...

was inaugurated. The building was named after Herbert Kohler, who donated the $20 million required to build it. It has an area of and is designed to have a low environmental impact, using features such as solar panels, composting, and a greenhouse heated with used cooking oil. The KEC is situated on a plot of forest and wetlands, which can be incorporated into classes focused on the environment.

Personal life

In 1961, Kohler married Linda Karger, but the couple divorced in the early 1980s. They had three children together. Their daughter, Rachel Kohler, is married to

Mark Hoplamazian Mark Samuel Hoplamazian (born November 27, 1963) is an Armenian American businessman, who has been the president and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation since December 2006. Through marriage he is a member of the Kohler family. Early life Hopla ...

, CEO of

Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...

, since 2006. In 1985, Linda married Roger Anderson, retired chairman and CEO of

Continental Illinois The Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company was an American bank established in 1910, which was at its peak the seventh-largest commercial bank in the United States as measured by deposits, with approximately $40 billion in assets. ...

. Kohler appeared in the film ''

Open Range In the Western United States and Canada, open range is rangeland where cattle roam freely regardless of land ownership. Where there are "open range" laws, those wanting to keep animals off their property must erect a fence to keep animals out; th ...

'', which starred and was directed by his friend

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...

. His second wife was Natalie Black, a

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

graduate who joined Kohler in 1985 as a lawyer, rising to general counsel and senior vice president of communications. She is now head of the Kohler Foundation. Kohler owned a breeding facility where he bred many

Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation bloodstock, foundation sire Figure (horse), Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served ma ...

s. He owned the Morgan horse Noble Flaire from 1984 until it died in 2006. He died on September 3, 2022, in

, at the age of 83.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kohler, Herbert Jr. 1939 births 2022 deaths Place of birth missing Kohler Company American billionaires American chief executives of materials companies Businesspeople from Chicago Businesspeople from Wisconsin Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Yale University alumni People from Kohler, Wisconsin Kohler family (Wisconsin)