Editing Norton Simon

{{short description|American industrialist and philanthropist}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
|name          = Norton Simon
|image         = Norton Simon 1971.jpg
|caption       = Simon in 1971
|birth_date    = {{birth date|1907|2|5}}
|birth_place   = [[Portland, Oregon]], U.S.
|death_date    = {{death date and age|1993|6|2|1907|2|5}}
|death_place   = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
|nationality   =
|alma_mater    = [[University of California, Berkeley]]
|occupation    = Industrialist, philanthropist
|known_for     = Founder of the [[Norton Simon Museum]]<br/>Founder of [[Hunt's Foods]], owner of Hunt's Ketchup, Tanqueray Gin
|party         = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|boards        = [[Hunt's Foods]]
|spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Lucille Ellis|1933|1970|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Jennifer Jones]]|1971}}
}}
|children      = 2
}}

'''Norton Winfred Simon''' (February 5, 1907 – June 2, 1993) was an American industrialist and [[philanthropy|philanthropist]]. He was at one time one of the wealthiest men in America.<ref name=lam>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Los Angeles (magazine)|Los Angeles]] |title=Masterpiece Theater |last=Mathison |first=Dirk |page=110 |date=November 1998 |issn=1522-9149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4V0EAAAAMBAJ&q=norton+simon+richest+men+in+america&pg=PA110}}</ref> At the time of his death, he had amassed a net worth of nearly US$10 [[billion]].

Simon was born to a [[Jews|Jewish]] family in [[Portland, Oregon]]. His father operated a wholesale goods store there. When Simon was sixteen years old, he relocated with his family from Portland to [[San Francisco]] following his mother's death. After dropping out of the [[University of California, Berkeley]], Simon founded a sheet metal company before investing in an insolvent orange juice bottling plant in [[Fullerton, California]]. The company was renamed Val Vita Food Products Company, and, under Simon's supervision, expanded its product line to include numerous other fruit and vegetable products. The company was eventually sold by Simon to [[Hunt's|Hunt's Foods]], after which Simon retired in 1969.

He spent his later years serving in philanthropic and non-profit roles, acting as a regent on the boards of the University of California and [[Reed College]], as well as the Los Angeles Music Center, the [[California School of Professional Psychology]], and the Institute for Advanced Study. Simon amassed a significant art collection that is housed in the [[Norton Simon Museum]] in [[Pasadena, California]]. After his death in 1993 Simon's second wife, actress [[Jennifer Jones]], remained an emeritus director of the Museum until her death in 2009.

==Early life==
Simon was born in [[Portland, Oregon]] to a [[Jews|Jewish]] family,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2018/05/03/norton-simons-grandson-criticized-the-museums-handling-of-nazi-stolen-art-now-hes-off-the-foundation-board/ |work=[[Pasadena Star-News]] |title=Norton Simon's grandson criticized the museum's handling of Nazi-stolen art, now he's off the foundation board |date=May 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210110224133/https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2018/05/03/norton-simons-grandson-criticized-the-museums-handling-of-nazi-stolen-art-now-hes-off-the-foundation-board/ |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |author=Munguia, Hayley |access-date=January 10, 2021 }}</ref> the eldest child of Myer and Lillian Simon (née Gluckman).{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=9}} He had two younger sisters, Evelyn and Marcia.{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=11}} Simon's [[San Francisco]]-born father was raised in Portland, where he eventually worked as a businessman operating his own wholesale goods store, Simon Sells For Less;{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=10}} Simon's mother, a native of [[Chicago]], was raised primarily in [[Sacramento|Sacramento, California]].{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=9}}

In his youth, Simon's parents purchased a cottage in [[Seaside, Oregon]], where he spent a significant amount of his childhood. His mother died in Seaside when Simon was fourteen of an acute digestive disorder related to [[Diabetes mellitus type 1|type 1 diabetes]].{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=11}} Following his mother's death, Simon's father lost the majority of his money during the [[Great Depression]], which harshly impacted his goods store.{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|pages=9–11}}

When he was sixteen, Simon relocated with his father and siblings to San Francisco, where they moved into his aunt and uncle's home.{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=12}} There, Simon attended [[Lowell High School (San Francisco)|Lowell High School]], graduating in 1923.{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=12}} In 1925, at his father's insistence, he enrolled in the [[University of California, Berkeley]].

==Business career==
{{multiple image
 | align     = left
 | direction = horizontal
 | footer    = Workers at Val Vita, which later became [[Hunt Foods]], in [[Fullerton, California]] (c. 1940)
 | footer_align = left
 | image1    = Val Vita Foods-Hunts foods workers circa 1940.jpeg
 | width1    = 142
 | image2    = Val Vita Foods workers Fullerton, California 1940.jpeg
 | width2    = 120}}
<!--this section linked from Norton Simon, Inc. and Norton Simon Inc.-->

Simon left [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]] after just six weeks to start a sheet metal distribution company. He enjoyed early success and invested $7,000 in 1927 in an orange juice bottling plant in [[Fullerton, California]], which was insolvent, and renamed it Val Vita Food Products Company. He soon added other fruit and vegetables to the product lines and purchased canning equipment.

As one of the first of his significant corporate moves, Simon sold Val Vita to Hunt's Foods in return for a controlling interest in the combined business. By 1943 he changed the company's name to [[Hunt's Foods|Hunt Food and Industries]] and ran it with strict cost-controls and an unorthodox approach to marketing. During and after [[World War II]], Simon focused on product visibility. Uncharacteristically for a food company at the time, he acquired full-page advertisements in ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' and ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazines with full-color photos of Hunt's ketchup bottles and tomato sauce cans. His aggressive advertising ensured the company's slogan "Hunt for the best" was prominent. His marketing strategy worked, and by 1945 Hunt Foods became a household name and one of the largest food processing businesses on the West Coast.

With the growing profits from Hunt Foods, he began buying stock in other undervalued companies with growth potential, many of which were still undervalued following the loss of confidence in equities after the Great Depression. He diversified through acquisition into well known businesses such as [[McCall Corporation|McCall's Publishing]], the ''[[Saturday Review (US magazine)|Saturday Review of Literature]]'', [[Canada Dry]] Corporation, [[Max Factor]] cosmetics, the television production company [[Talent Associates]], and [[Avis Rent A Car System|Avis Car Rental]], through his holding company Norton Simon Inc. Norton Simon Inc. was formed in 1968 through the merger of Hunt, McCalls, and Canada Dry.  Many of these businesses had extensive interests outside the United States. Norton Simon Inc. was later acquired by [[JBS USA#Esmark|Esmark]] in 1983,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wayne|first=Leslie|date=June 25, 1983|title=A NORTON SIMON BID BY ESMARK|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/25/business/a-norton-simon-bid-by-esmark.html|access-date=October 5, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which merged with [[Beatrice Foods]] the next year.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Joyce M. Rosenberg|agency=Associated Press|title=CONGLOMERATE'S HISTORY IS A LONG AND TANGLED TALE|url=https://greensboro.com/conglomerates-history-is-a-long-and-tangled-tale/article_f2ed4ed6-fff6-59d7-87cf-3724a4017bab.html|access-date=October 5, 2021|website=Greensboro News and Record|date=June 9, 1990 |language=en}}</ref> Beatrice was sold to [[ConAgra Foods, Inc.]] in 1990.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Potts|first=Mark|date=June 8, 1990|title=CONAGRA TO ACQUIRE BEATRICE|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1990/06/08/conagra-to-acquire-beatrice/f15cb9d7-7eff-4617-98c9-a6f2a4662e1d/|access-date=October 5, 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

==Art collection==
[[File:The Norton Simon Museum, a private art museum in Pasadena, California LCCN2013631618.tif|thumb|right|upright=1|The [[Norton Simon Museum]] in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]]]
Simon accumulated a significant private art collection which included works of the [[Impressionists]], [[Old Masters]], modern and native art. In the 1960s, he spent $6 million on artworks – an inventory of slightly less than 800 objects – and real estate – a building at [[79th Street (Manhattan)|18 East 79th Street]] –  from the [[Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen|Duveen Gallery]] in Manhattan, which specialized in old masters.<ref name=kahn>{{cite news| first=Eve M.| last=Kahn| date=October 16, 2014| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/arts/design/behind-the-scenes-at-museums-in-boston-and-pasadena-.html| title=Behind the Scenes at Museums in Boston and Pasadena| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=lock>[http://www.nortonsimon.org/lock-stock-and-barrel-norton-simon-s-purchase-of-duveen-brothers-gallery Lock, Stock and Barrel: Norton Simon's Purchase of Duveen Brothers Gallery, October 24, 2014 - April 27, 2015] [[Norton Simon Museum]], Pasadena.</ref> Scholars including the critic [[Clement Greenberg]] and the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] curator Theodore Rousseau studied the Duveen purchases for Simon and were able to identify numerous misattributions. Simon ended up selling much of the collection and only kept around 130 objects, primarily paintings, a handful of sculptures, a few porcelains, and a cape purportedly worn by [[Charles IV of Spain]].<ref name=kahn/><ref name=lock/>  However, his collection holds three signed Rembrandt paintings, considered highly important works among those of [[Rembrandt in Southern California]].

Simon served as a trustee of the [[Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County|Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science and Art]] and supported the development of the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art|LA County Museum of Art]]. Simon initially lent most of his art collection to that Museum although as it expanded he pioneered the "museum without walls" concept by actively lending his collection to different museums around the world.

In 1972, Simon bought a tenth-century South Indian bronze [[Nataraja]], or dancing Shiva, from New York dealer Ben Heller for $900,000. The Indian government declared that the statue had been stolen from a temple in [[Tamil Nadu]] and smuggled abroad. Although Simon was quoted in ''[[The New York Times]]'' on May 12, 1973, as saying, ''Hell yes, it was smuggled. I spent between $15 and $16 million in the last two years on Asian art, and most of it was smuggled.''<ref>{{cite news| title=Norton Simon Bought Smuggled Idol| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/12/archives/norton-simon-bought-smuggled-idol-a-smuggled-idol-bought-by-simon.html| last=Shirey| first=David| date=May 12, 1973| newspaper=The New York Times| access-date=December 19, 2020| page=1| url-access=subscription}}</ref> He later vehemently denied the quote in the May 13, 1973, edition of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', declaring that the work had been legally imported into the United States. In the same ''Los Angeles Times'' article, he stated, "As a collector deeply and emotionally involved in art, I deplore the rape of art treasures of any country." In 1976, Simon reached an amicable agreement with the Union of India whereby he agreed to return the Nataraja. In exchange, the Indian government agreed that Simon could keep and display the bronze in his museum for nine years first.

Seeking a permanent home for his collection of over 4,000 objects, in 1972 he welcomed an overture from the financially troubled Pasadena Museum of Modern Art. He ultimately assumed control and naming rights, and in 1974 it was renamed the [[Norton Simon Museum]]. In 1987, the [[University of California, Los Angeles]], announced an "agreement in principle" with Simon for the transfer to the university of the art collection owned by two Simon foundations – the Norton Simon Foundation and the Norton Simon Art Foundation.<ref>Glueck, Grace (February 21, 1987). [https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/21/arts/norton-simon-s-art-is-slated-for-ucla.html "Norton Simon's Art Is Slated For U.C.L.A."] ''The New York Times''.</ref> The plan was to keep most of collection in Pasadena, administered by UCLA, the Simon board and the Norton Simon Foundation. The university was to build a separate museum facility on campus for part of the collection.<ref>Wilson, William and Suzanne Muchnic (February 20, 1987). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-20-mn-3130-story.html "Simon UCLA Art Gift a Record: His $750-Million Collection Hailed as 'Stupendous'"] ''Los Angeles Times''.</ref> However, Simon withdrew his offer three months after the announcement was made.<ref>Muchnic, Suzanne (June 24, 1990). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-24-ca-1086-story.html "Simon Finally Breaks the Silence"]. ''Los Angeles Times''.</ref>

==Later years==
In 1969, his son Robert Simon died by suicide, leaving Donald (Norton's other son), Lucille, and Norton shocked. In 1970, he and wife Lucille Ellis divorced. In 1971, he married actress [[Jennifer Jones (actor)|Jennifer Jones]], the widow of [[David O. Selznick]]. He retired from active involvement in his business in 1969. He accepted appointments to the University of California Board of Regents, the Carnegie Commission on the Future of Higher Education, the boards of [[Reed College]] (in his hometown of Portland), the Los Angeles Music Center, the [[California School of Professional Psychology]] at [[Alliant International University]], and the Institute for Advanced Study.{{sfn|Muchnic|1998|p=137}}

In 1970, Simon opposed [[U.S. Senator]] [[George Murphy]]'s bid for a second term in the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Partisan primary|primary]]. Murphy won renomination, but lost the seat in the [[general election]] to the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[John V. Tunney]], as Republican [[Ronald Reagan]] was winning a second term as [[Governor of California|governor]].

==Death==
Simon was diagnosed in 1984 with the neurological disorder [[Guillain–Barré syndrome]], although he remained active in the [[Norton Simon Museum]]. He died of [[pneumonia]] at his home in the [[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]] section of Los Angeles on June 2, 1993.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 2, 1993|title=Wealthy Industrialist Norton Simon Dies|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1993/06/04/wealthy-industrialist-norton-simon-dies/83754729-c690-4080-a9a8-4c731ce29547/|archive-date=January 10, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210110232819/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1993/06/04/wealthy-industrialist-norton-simon-dies/83754729-c690-4080-a9a8-4c731ce29547/|access-date=January 10, 2021}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book| last=Muchnic|first=Suzanne| year=1998| title=Odd Man in: Norton Simon and the Pursuit of Culture| publisher=University of California Press| location=Los Angeles| isbn=978-0-520-20643-4| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/oddmaninnortonsi00much}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080721050559/http://www.hunts.com/index.jsp Hunt's Foods]
* [http://www.nortonsimon.org Norton Simon Museum]
* {{cite journal| url=https://www.forbes.com/2004/05/25/cx_0525conn.html| title="Hell, Yes, It Was Smuggled!"| journal=[[Forbes]]| date=May 24, 2004| access-date=December 19, 2020}}
* {{cite magazine| url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/05/07/the-idol-thief| last=Keefe| first=Patrick Radden| date=April 30, 2007| title=The Idol Thief| magazine=[[The New Yorker]]| access-date=December 19, 2020}}

{{Authority control}}

<!--Norton Simon Inc. conglomerate-->

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Norton}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Jews from California]]
[[Category:Jews from Oregon]]
[[Category:American chief executives of food industry companies]]<!--Hunt's Foods-->
[[Category:American art collectors]]
[[Category:American billionaires]]
[[Category:American company founders]]<!--Norton Simon Inc. conglomerate-->
[[Category:American food company founders]]<!--Hunt's Foods-->
[[Category:Art in Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Lowell High School (San Francisco) alumni]]
[[Category:Museum founders]]
[[Category:Oregon Republicans]]
[[Category:People associated with the Norton Simon Museum]]
[[Category:Philanthropists from California]]
[[Category:University of California regents]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American academics]]