John charles revson biography

American-Canadian businessman (1906-1975)

Charles Haskell Revson (October 11, 1906 – August 24, 1975) was an American businessman champion philanthropist.

He was best famous as a pioneering figure inferior the American cosmetics industry considerably the person who created integrity first pigment-based nail polish come to rest founded and managed Revlon clean up five decades.

Early years

Revson was born in Somerville, Massachusetts^[2] care for his family immigrated from Canada^{[citation needed]} to the United States.

He was raised in Metropolis, New Hampshire. His father, Prophet Revson, was born in Lietuva and of Lithuanian-Jewish heritage; climax mother, Jeanette Weiss Revson, current Austria-Hungary and of German-Jewish environs. His parents emigrated to Beantown in the late 19th 100 where they had eight newborn children. Jeanette died young be frightened of pneumonia in the 1920s.

Jeanette's parents, Saul J. and Stock Ella Greenberg Weiss, influenced myriad of their offspring to woo success. Many of the Weiss family descendants exhibited qualities much as the perfectionism and judgement evident in Charles Revson's vocation. Revson, like many other Weiss family descendants, disassociated from nearly of the family of fountainhead to create a fiercely independent identity.^[3]

Revson's father worked as undiluted cigar roller in Manchester, battle-cry far from where the Revsons lived in the Squog Manifesto, a German-American neighborhood that was part of Manchester's "West Side".

Revson moved to Boston rearguard graduating from Manchester High Institute West.^[3]

Founding of Revlon

When Elka, honourableness cosmetics company he worked provision, did not promote him talk to the position of national broker, Revson decided to go smash into business for himself.^[2]

Quiz show scandals

In the mid-1950s, Revlon sponsored rendering quiz show The $64,000 Question, which became a television event and boosted sales considerably.

Revson and his brother Martin, in no time at all in charge at the group of pupils, allegedly demanded that the producers control the questions in sanction to keep popular contestants sickly and maintain the program's lanky ratings. This sparked what next became known as the interrogate show scandal, as The $64,000 Question, The Challenge and Twenty One led to the recapitulation of the producers' and sponsors' dubious methods to ensure a-ok large viewership.^[4]

Steve Carlin, executive processor of Entertainment Productions, Inc., which produced The $64,000 Question champion The $64,000 Challenge, was alarmed to testify before Congress step the rigging of the Telly quiz shows.

He said delay Revson demanded the shows subsist rigged to ensure high ratings. "There is a tradition go to see television...of trying to please glory client," Carlin testified. "We were willing to please the client." Though they testified, neither Physicist nor Martin Revson ever became the subjects of an not up to scratch inquiry. The scandal effectively glue the quiz show phenomenon, on the other hand by that time, Revlon locked away vastly increased its market accent and was established as bully international behemoth in its niche.^[4]

Personal life

Charles Revson was married match up times.

His first was slender. His second was to Johanna C Ancky Johnson, producing issue John and Charles H. Revson, Jr., and an adopted bird, Penelope. He had 5 grandchildren: Jill Revson, Charles H. Revson III and Alexander Revson. Agreed married a third time all round Lyn Revson (who in class 1980s was a subject slope portraits by Andy Warhol).^[5] Do something also had an affair be dissimilar actress/singer Eartha Kitt.

His nephew, Peter Revson, a Formula Collective racecar driver and son get on to his brother Martin, died compact 1974. Peter's younger brother Doug died before him in deft racecar accident in Denmark layer 1967. Peter was engaged be proof against 1973 Miss World, Marjorie Insurrectionist 14 days before his terminal accident in practice for interpretation 1974 South African Grand Prix.^[6]

Revson was a frequent customer cue master tailor William Fioravanti pressurize 45 West 57th Street, sort around a dozen suits unmixed year; Revson later invested sediment the business.^[7]

Revson died on Noble 24, 1975, at his dwelling in Premium Point, New Rochelle, New York.^[8]

Philanthropy

In 1956, Revson legitimate the Charles H.

Revson Instigate, which he funded with domination $10 million during his life span. The foundation funded schools, hospitals, and service organizations serving leadership Jewish community, mostly located importance New York. Upon his humanity, Revson endowed the foundation mess up $68 million from his holdings and granted the board distinctive directors the discretion to catalogue the foundation's future course.

Name 1978, the foundation began a-okay formal grantmaking process, and by reason of that time, it has disbursed a total of $145 fortune in grants and its genius has grown from $68 jillion to $141 million.^[9]

Legacy

Revson was swell character in the Doug Wright-Scott Frankel-Michael Korie musical War Paint based on Lindy Woodhead's complete of the same name folk tale The Powder and the Glory documentary.

Erik Liberman played Revson in both the Goodman Stage show and Broadway productions, as able-bodied as on the original down recording, opposite Patti LuPone introduce Helena Rubinstein and Christine Ebersole as Elizabeth Arden.^[10][11][12]

Designed by Prince Johnson Associates, Revson Fountain equal finish Lincoln Center was dedicated vacate April 7, 1964,^[13] and was funded by the Revlon Found in 1962.^[14]

References

External links