Industry Leader J.R. Simplot Dead At 99
27 de maio de 2008 J.R. Simplot, a household name in US agriculture, has died at age 99 at his home in Boise, Idaho of natural causes.
The Idaho farmer and leader of US potato production formed the JR Simplot Co. and grew it to a major fertilizer, feed, and seed company for horticultural products, fruits, vegetables, and, of course, potatoes.
From humble beginnings, Simplot helped to forge Idaho’s identity as the US potato capital. His business diversified, leading him to supply World War II US troops with dried potatoes and vegetables; to buy ranches, cattle, and timberland; and to buy phosphate reserves in the midst of the wartime fertilizer shortage and build a production facility. He evolved then into frozen and canned foods, and developed the company’s signature frozen french fry, which supplied to Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s.
Beyond agriculture, Simplot also financed what would become computer chip maker Micron Technology Inc., a leader in computer memory chip production.
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