J. R. Simplot
Encyclopedia
John Richard Simplot (January 9, 1909 – May 25, 2008) was the founder of the J. R. Simplot Company
, an agricultural supplier specializing in potato
products, based in Boise
, Idaho
. In 2007 he was estimated to be the 89th-richest person in America, at $3.6 billion. At the time of his death at age 99 in May 2008, he was the oldest billionaire
on the Forbes 400
.
, Iowa
, in 1909, he was the third of six children of Charles R. and Dorothy Simplot. A year later, the family relocated a thousand miles (1600 km) west to homestead
in the newly irrigated
Magic Valley
of south central Idaho
. After differences with his authoritarian father, Simplot quit school in the eighth grade and left home to strike out on his own at age 14 in 1923. He then worked on a farm near Declo
, before getting into the potato
and vegetable processing business.
, the J. R. Simplot Company
had become the largest shipper of fresh potatoes in the nation.
In 1945, Simplot's Soilbuilder/Grower Solutions organization was formed, and Simplot established a canning and dehydrating quick-freeze plant in which employees tested frozen potato products. The Simplot Company is credited with pioneering the first commercial frozen French fry
in the late 1940s. In 1953, Simplot patented the frozen French-fried potato, an invention of his scientists that would later make him billions.
In 1967, Simplot and McDonald's
founder Ray Kroc
agreed by hand shake that the Simplot Company would provide frozen French fries to the restaurant chain. Previously, McDonald's restaurants had cut potatoes at each location for fresh French fries, but the favored Russet potato
was not available for three months in the summer, leading to a quality control problem. Simplot was able to supply frozen Russet potatoes all year long. By 1972, all McDonald's fries were frozen. The frozen fry deal led to expansion of Simplot potato processing plants and construction in 1977 of a new plant at Hermiston, Oregon
. By 2005, Simplot supplied more than half of all French fries for the fast food
chain. Simplot also produces fertilizers for agriculture.
Simplot retired as president of his company in 1973, but remained as chairman until 1994. He held the title of Chairman Emeritus until his death in 2008. Simplot received an honorary degree from Utah State University
in Logan
in 2001, honoring him for his many contributions to the agricultural industry of America, particularly the Intermountain West
.
Simplot was involved in the potato bust of 1976.
Further enhancing his enormous wealth, the J.R. Simplot Company provided startup capital in the early 1980s for the fledgling Micron Technology
, a Boise
-based manufacturer of computer memory
chips. Additionally, he invested heavily in Remington Oil.
In 1961, Simplot financed the Brundage Mountain
ski area near McCall
, two hours north of Boise. The Simplot Company sold its 50% interest in Brundage in April 2006 to the longtime co-owner, the DeBoer family. In the early 1950s, Simplot was the benefactor to the fledgling Bogus Basin
ski area near Boise when it had financial difficulties; the base area lodge is named in his honor.
Simplot's first marriage was to Ruby Rosevear of Glenns Ferry
, whom he had met on a blind date; he proposed to her in his Model A Ford
in 1931. After 29 years and four children, the marriage ended in divorce in 1960, when she suddenly left Simplot for another man. Years later, Simplot admitted that while he was growing his business empire in the 1950s, he had not spent enough time with his family.
He and his second wife, Esther Becker, a former opera
singer, met in the mid 1960s in New York
. He was on a business trip and she was working as a receptionist for the Henry Phipps Foundation
; they were married in 1972.
Before his death, Simplot and his wife Esther resided in the Grove Hotel building in downtown Boise, a few blocks from the company's headquarters. The couple donated their signature hilltop home, in Boise's north end, to the state of Idaho
in 2005 for use as a governor's mansion. Now known as "The Idaho House
", the residence remains unoccupied.
in Glendale
, Arizona
, with his wife and son, Simplot fell from a motorized scooter and suffered a hematoma
in his head. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
in Phoenix
, where he spent his 98th birthday. Simplot returned to Idaho several days later for further rehabilitation.
from which he appeared to be recovering. His death occurred moments after he had invited a friend to his home to play cards.
He was survived by his wife, two sons, Don and Scott, and his daughter, Gay. His eldest son, Richard (Dick), died in 1993.
Simplot was the former father-in-law of Butch Otter, the current Governor of Idaho and a former executive with Simplot. Otter was married to Gay Simplot for 28 years, from 1964 to 1992.
Simplot
The J. R. Simplot Company, commonly referred to as Simplot, was founded in 1923 by 14-year-old J. R. Simplot near the small agricultural community of Declo in south central Idaho. J. R. Simplot led his company to tremendous growth in the period between its founding and World War II...
, an agricultural supplier specializing in potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
products, based in Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. In 2007 he was estimated to be the 89th-richest person in America, at $3.6 billion. At the time of his death at age 99 in May 2008, he was the oldest billionaire
Billionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
on the Forbes 400
Forbes 400
The Forbes 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by Forbes Magazine magazine of the wealthiest 400 Americans, ranked by net worth. The list is published annually in September, and 2010 marks the 29th issue. The 400 was started by Malcom Forbes in 1982 and treats those in the list like...
.
Early life
Born in DubuqueDubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, in 1909, he was the third of six children of Charles R. and Dorothy Simplot. A year later, the family relocated a thousand miles (1600 km) west to homestead
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
in the newly irrigated
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
Magic Valley
Magic Valley
The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho consisting of Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls Counties. It is particularly associated with the agricultural region in the Snake River Plain located in the area...
of south central Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. After differences with his authoritarian father, Simplot quit school in the eighth grade and left home to strike out on his own at age 14 in 1923. He then worked on a farm near Declo
Declo, Idaho
Declo is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 343 at the 2010 census. The world's largest potato processing company was founded in 1923 near Declo by a 14-year-old entrepreneur named J.R. Simplot. The...
, before getting into the potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
and vegetable processing business.
J. R. Simplot Company
By World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the J. R. Simplot Company
Simplot
The J. R. Simplot Company, commonly referred to as Simplot, was founded in 1923 by 14-year-old J. R. Simplot near the small agricultural community of Declo in south central Idaho. J. R. Simplot led his company to tremendous growth in the period between its founding and World War II...
had become the largest shipper of fresh potatoes in the nation.
In 1945, Simplot's Soilbuilder/Grower Solutions organization was formed, and Simplot established a canning and dehydrating quick-freeze plant in which employees tested frozen potato products. The Simplot Company is credited with pioneering the first commercial frozen French fry
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
in the late 1940s. In 1953, Simplot patented the frozen French-fried potato, an invention of his scientists that would later make him billions.
In 1967, Simplot and McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
founder Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc
Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc was an American fast food businessman who joined McDonald's in 1954 and built it into the most successful fast food operation in the world. Kroc was included in Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century, and amassed a fortune during his lifetime...
agreed by hand shake that the Simplot Company would provide frozen French fries to the restaurant chain. Previously, McDonald's restaurants had cut potatoes at each location for fresh French fries, but the favored Russet potato
Russet Burbank potato
The Russet Burbank potato is a large brown-skinned, white-fleshed cultivar of potato. Luther Burbank developed the Burbank potato in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, U.S., in the early 1870s. In 1875, Burbank sold his farm and the rights to his potato, and moved to Santa Rosa, California...
was not available for three months in the summer, leading to a quality control problem. Simplot was able to supply frozen Russet potatoes all year long. By 1972, all McDonald's fries were frozen. The frozen fry deal led to expansion of Simplot potato processing plants and construction in 1977 of a new plant at Hermiston, Oregon
Hermiston, Oregon
As of the census of 2010, there were 16,745 people, 4,964 households, and 3,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,035.4 people per square mile . There were 5,383 housing units at an average density of 832.9 per square mile...
. By 2005, Simplot supplied more than half of all French fries for the fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
chain. Simplot also produces fertilizers for agriculture.
Simplot retired as president of his company in 1973, but remained as chairman until 1994. He held the title of Chairman Emeritus until his death in 2008. Simplot received an honorary degree from Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
in Logan
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
in 2001, honoring him for his many contributions to the agricultural industry of America, particularly the Intermountain West
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West is a region of North America lying between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.- Topography :...
.
Simplot was involved in the potato bust of 1976.
Further enhancing his enormous wealth, the J.R. Simplot Company provided startup capital in the early 1980s for the fledgling Micron Technology
Micron Technology
Micron Technology, Inc. is an American multinational corporation based in Boise, Idaho, USA, best known for producing many forms of semiconductor devices. This includes DRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, SSD and CMOS image sensing chips. Consumers may be more familiar with its consumer brand Crucial...
, a Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
-based manufacturer of computer memory
Computer memory
In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
chips. Additionally, he invested heavily in Remington Oil.
In 1961, Simplot financed the Brundage Mountain
Brundage Mountain
Brundage Mountain Resort is an alpine ski area in west central Idaho, in the Payette National Forest. Brundage first opened in November 1961 and is 8 miles northwest of McCall, a twenty minute drive in average winter conditions....
ski area near McCall
McCall, Idaho
McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest...
, two hours north of Boise. The Simplot Company sold its 50% interest in Brundage in April 2006 to the longtime co-owner, the DeBoer family. In the early 1950s, Simplot was the benefactor to the fledgling Bogus Basin
Bogus Basin
Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is a ski area located in southwest Idaho in Boise County, 16 miles north-northeast of the city of Boise....
ski area near Boise when it had financial difficulties; the base area lodge is named in his honor.
Simplot's first marriage was to Ruby Rosevear of Glenns Ferry
Glenns Ferry, Idaho
Glenns Ferry is a city in Elmore County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2000 census. The city is adjacent to Interstate 84 and the Snake River.-History:Glenns Ferry was one of the most famous river crossings on the Oregon Trail...
, whom he had met on a blind date; he proposed to her in his Model A Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in 1931. After 29 years and four children, the marriage ended in divorce in 1960, when she suddenly left Simplot for another man. Years later, Simplot admitted that while he was growing his business empire in the 1950s, he had not spent enough time with his family.
He and his second wife, Esther Becker, a former opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer, met in the mid 1960s in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was on a business trip and she was working as a receptionist for the Henry Phipps Foundation
Henry Phipps
Henry Phipps, Jr. was an American entrepreneur and major philanthropist.-Biography:He was the son of an English shoemaker who emigrated in the early part of the 19th century to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before settling in Pittsburgh. When a child, he was a friend and neighbor to Andrew Carnegie...
; they were married in 1972.
Before his death, Simplot and his wife Esther resided in the Grove Hotel building in downtown Boise, a few blocks from the company's headquarters. The couple donated their signature hilltop home, in Boise's north end, to the state of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
in 2005 for use as a governor's mansion. Now known as "The Idaho House
The Idaho House
The State of Idaho Executive Residence, also known as the Governor's House or Idaho House, is the official residence of the governor of Idaho, located in Boise, the state capital....
", the residence remains unoccupied.
Accident
On January 1, 2007, while attending the Fiesta BowlFiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
in Glendale
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, with his wife and son, Simplot fell from a motorized scooter and suffered a hematoma
Hematoma
A hematoma, or haematoma, is a localized collection of blood outside the blood vessels, usually in liquid form within the tissue. This distinguishes it from an ecchymosis, which is the spread of blood under the skin in a thin layer, commonly called a bruise...
in his head. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It is currently operated by Catholic Healthcare West , one of the largest healthcare systems in the West with 40 hospitals in Arizona, California and Nevada. St...
in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, where he spent his 98th birthday. Simplot returned to Idaho several days later for further rehabilitation.
Death
Simplot died suddenly at his home on May 25, 2008, with his wife at his side, following a bout of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
from which he appeared to be recovering. His death occurred moments after he had invited a friend to his home to play cards.
He was survived by his wife, two sons, Don and Scott, and his daughter, Gay. His eldest son, Richard (Dick), died in 1993.
Simplot was the former father-in-law of Butch Otter, the current Governor of Idaho and a former executive with Simplot. Otter was married to Gay Simplot for 28 years, from 1964 to 1992.
External links
- Simplot company web announcement of death of founder J.R. "Jack" Simplot
- May 2008 profile of J.R. Simplot from The OregonianThe OregonianThe Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
- Profile of J.R. Simplot's early career, from Idaho Public TV
- Simplot's Story, reprinted from The Idaho Statesman, 1999, from idahopotato.com
- Simplot articles, from the Idaho Statesman
- J.R. Simplot obituary, from The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, May 28, 2008