Oral history interview with E. Robert Kinney

Titles: Oral history interview with E. Robert Kinney (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: E. Robert Kinney was born in Burnham, Maine in 1918. He was educated at Bates College and Harvard University. He began a crab-canning business that was later sold to Gorton's; Kinney became president of Gorton's and later helped negotiate its merger into General Mills. Moving to General Mills headquarters in Minneapolis following the merger, Kinney eventually became chairman and CEO of General Mills, from which he retired in 1982. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Childhood in Maine; education at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine; launching of a business to can crab and sell it to grocery stores in New England; acquisition of the business by Gorton's and Kinney's leadership of Gorton's during a period of rapid expansion. Also discussed is the merger of Gorton's into General Mills, Kinney’s tenure at president, chairman and CEO of General Mills, and the company's rapid growth and diversification into clothing, toys, restaurants, and other businesses. Kinney also notes his impressions of life in Minnesota, and his civic involvements over the years.

Dates

• 07/09/2009 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Kinney, E. Robert
• interviewer: Fogerty, James E.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 121
• Accession Number: AV2010.43

Credit: Digitized with support from the Ken and Nina Rothchild Endowed Fund for Business History and Women's History.

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 43 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 01:28:49 running time

Subjects

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