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James E. Burke

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For other people named James Burke, see James Burke (disambiguation).
James E. Burke
Burke in 2000
Born(1925-02-28)February 28, 1925
Rutland, Vermont, U.S.
DiedSeptember 28, 2012(2012-09-28) (aged 87)
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationCollege of the Holy Cross (BS)
Harvard University (MBA)
TitleCEO of Johnson & Johnson
Children2
RelativesDaniel Burke (brother)
Steve Burke (nephew)
AwardsAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences (1993)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2000)
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1941–1945
Battles/wars

James Edward Burke (February 28, 1925 – September 28, 2012)[1] was an American businessman who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Johnson & Johnson from 1976 to 1989, where he worked for forty years.[2][3] The company's revenue tripled to more than $9 billion under his tenure.[4]

Burke was best known as head of Johnson & Johnson during the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, after which he chose to recall 31 million bottles of Tylenol at the expense of $100 million, ultimately relaunching the product with a tamper-proof design. His actions became a prominent case of successful crisis management, and have served as a standard case study for numerous business practices.[5] In 2003, Fortune magazine named Burke as one of the greatest CEOs in history.[6]

Early life and education[edit]

Burke was born in Rutland, Vermont, on February 28, 1925, to James Burke, an insurance salesman, and Mary Barnett Burke,[7] a homemaker.[6] He was raised in the small town of Slingerlands, New York, near Albany.[8] Multiple members of his family were later successful in business. Burke's younger brother, Daniel, was president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). His two sisters, Phyllis Davis and Sidney Burke Carroll, were a cosmetics executive and lawyer, respectively. One nephew, Stephen Burke, is the senior executive vice president of Comcast and chairman of NBCUniversal.[7]

After attending a Catholic high school, Burke was educated at the College of the Holy Cross, where he was a member of the college's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program.[6] During World War II, he served as an ensign in the United States Navy and commanded a landing craft tank (LCT) in the Pacific Theatre.[9] He returned to Holy Cross after the war, graduating in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in economics,[2] then attended Harvard Business School and earned a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in 1949.[8] Many of Burke's classmates at Harvard also became prominent business leaders, including Thomas Murphy, chair and CEO of ABC.[3]

Career[edit]

J&J announced that Richard B. Sellars would step down as CEO as of November 1, 1976, and be replaced by Burke.[10] As CEO, Burke is credited for the growth of Johnson & Johnson to its current size and prominence, but he is perhaps best known for his crisis management in 1982, when it was found that Tylenol capsules had been poisoned with cyanide.[11]

In addition to his duties with Johnson & Johnson, Burke served as an outside director for IBM and was instrumental in the ousting of John Akers and bringing in former American Express and RJR Nabisco CEO Louis V. Gerstner Jr. to replace him.[12]

Following his retirement, he was appointed the second chairman of the national nonprofit organization Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA), formed by a consortium of advertising professionals who ran a research-based media campaign to discourage teenage use of illegal drugs such as marijuana.[13] Burke was honored for his public service advertising work by then US president Bill Clinton, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Fortune magazine named him as one of the ten greatest CEOs of all time and he had a membership in the National Business Hall of Fame.[14]

He received the Bower Award for Business Leadership in 1990. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1991[15] and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993.[16][17]

In 1993, Burke received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[18][19]

He was president of the Business Enterprise Trust that honored acts of courage, integrity and social conscience in business.

Personal life[edit]

Burke married his first wife, Alice Eubank, in 1957. He had two children with her: James and Clo. After Eubank's death, Burke married his second wife, Didi.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Johnson, Linda A. (November 10, 2012). "Former Johnson & Johnson CEO Burke dies at 87". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012 – via Yahoo News.
  2. ^ a b "James E. Burke, MBA 1949: 2003 Alumni Achievement Award Recipient". School Alumni Stories. Harvard Business School. 2003-01-01. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  3. ^ a b Cuff, Daniel F. (1988-10-25). "Chief of Johnson & Johnson To Step Down in Revamping". The New York Times. pp. 81, 85. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  4. ^ Rockoff, Jonathan D. (October 1, 2012). "J&J CEO Amid Tylenol Scare". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "Tylenol and the Legacy of J&J's James Burke". Time. 2012-10-05. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  6. ^ a b c Brown, David (2023-05-19). "James E. Burke, Johnson & Johnson CEO during Tylenol poisonings 30 years ago, dies at 87". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  7. ^ a b c Arnold, Laurence (April 3, 2012). "James Burke, J&J CEO who led Tylenol Comeback, Dies at 87". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Thomas, Katie (2012-10-02). "James E. Burke, 87, Dies; Candid Ex-Chief of Johnson & Johnson". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  9. ^ Johnson, Linda A. (October 2, 2012). "James Burke, 87, former Johnson & Johnson CEO". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  10. ^ Staff. "Johnson & Johnson Names James E. Burke Chairman, Top Officer" Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, October 5, 1976. Accessed June 27, 2010.
  11. ^ Prokesch, Steven (1986-02-19). "Man in the News; A Leader in Crisis: James E. Burke". The New York Times. New York City. p. 29. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Vanourek, Bob; Vanourek, Gregg (October 8, 2012). "The Legacy of Jim Burke". Triple Crown Leadership. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  13. ^ Wren, Christopher S. (1996-02-20). "Marijuana Use by Youths Continues to Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  14. ^ Guzzardi, Walter (March 12, 1990). "The National Business Hall of Fame". Fortune magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-01 – via CNN Money.
  15. ^ "Lists of Past Society Members: Former Resident Members" (PDF). American Philosophical Society. 2019. p. 144. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "Member History of the American Philosophical Society – James E. Burke". American Philosophical Society. 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  17. ^ "Member Directory: Mr. James Edward Burke". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. February 2023. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  18. ^ "National Winners | public service awards | Jefferson Awards.org". Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  19. ^ Dnistrian, Steve (October 1, 2012). "James E. Burke, Former Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, Dies at 87". Johnson & Johnson.

Additional sources[edit]

  • Pandya, Mukul; Shell, Robbie (2006). Lasting Leadership: Lessons from the 25 Most Influential Business People of Our Times. Contributions by Susan Warner, Sandeep Junnarkar and Jeff Brown. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0131877306.
  • Vanourek, Bob; Vanourek, Gregg (2012). Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations. McGraw Hill (published July 10, 2012). ISBN 978-0071791502.
Business positions
Preceded by President of Johnson & Johnson
1976–1989 		Succeeded by
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