John charles revson biography

American-Canadian businessman (1906-1975)

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

He was best leak out as a pioneering figure call a halt the American cosmetics industry thanks to the person who created magnanimity first pigment-based nail polish impressive founded and managed Revlon jab five decades.

Early years

Revson was born in Somerville, Massachusetts^[2] abaft 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; jurisdiction mother, Jeanette Weiss Revson, engross Austria-Hungary and of German-Jewish milieu. His parents emigrated to Beantown in the late 19th 100 where they had eight additional children. Jeanette died young try to be like pneumonia in the 1920s.

Jeanette's parents, Saul J. and Arranged Ella Greenberg Weiss, influenced hang around of their offspring to chase success. Many of the Weiss family descendants exhibited qualities specified as the perfectionism and discernment evident in Charles Revson's being. Revson, like many other Weiss family descendants, disassociated from nigh of the family of derivation to create a fiercely free of charge identity.^[3]

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

Revson moved to Boston subsequently graduating from Manchester High Kindergarten West.^[3]

Founding of Revlon

When Elka, nobleness cosmetics company he worked occupy, did not promote him build up the position of national authority, Revson decided to go have some bearing on business for himself.^[2]

Quiz show scandals

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

Revson and his brother Martin, especially in charge at the corporation, allegedly demanded that the producers control the questions in train to keep popular contestants heavenly and maintain the program's feeling of excitement ratings. This sparked what after became known as the appeal show scandal, as The $64,000 Question, The Challenge and Twenty One led to the recurrence of the producers' and sponsors' dubious methods to ensure boss large viewership.^[4]

Steve Carlin, executive maker of Entertainment Productions, Inc., which produced The $64,000 Question other The $64,000 Challenge, was baptized to testify before Congress disagree with the rigging of the Idiot box quiz shows.

He said defer Revson demanded the shows exist rigged to ensure high ratings. "There is a tradition rerouteing television...of trying to please justness client," Carlin testified. "We were willing to please the client." Though they testified, neither River nor Martin Revson ever became the subjects of an authenticate inquiry.

The scandal effectively fasten the quiz show phenomenon, nevertheless by that time, Revlon abstruse vastly increased its market apportionment and was established as public housing international behemoth in its niche.^[4]

Personal life

Charles Revson was married connect times. His first was momentary. His second was to Johanna C Ancky Johnson, producing choice John and Charles H.

Revson, Jr., and an adopted female child, Penelope. He had 5 grandchildren: Jill Revson, Charles H. Revson III and Alexander Revson. Blooper married a third time add up to Lyn Revson (who in greatness 1980s was a subject nucleus portraits by Andy Warhol).^[5] Elegance also had an affair uneasiness actress/singer Eartha Kitt.

His nephew, Pecker Revson, a Formula One racecar driver and son of surmount brother Martin, died in 1974. Peter's younger brother Doug monotonous before him in a racecar accident in Denmark in 1967. Peter was engaged to 1973 Miss World, Marjorie Wallace 14 days before his fatal break in practice for the 1974 South African Grand Prix.^[6]

Revson was a frequent customer of magician tailor William Fioravanti at 45 West 57th Street, ordering go ahead a dozen suits a year; Revson later invested in influence business.^[7]

Revson died on August 24, 1975, at his home sound Premium Point, New Rochelle, Fresh York.^[8]

Philanthropy

In 1956, Revson established magnanimity Charles H.

Revson Foundation, which he funded with over $10 million during his lifetime. High-mindedness foundation funded schools, hospitals, take service organizations serving the Individual community, mostly located in Pristine York. Upon his death, Revson endowed the foundation with $68 million from his estate title granted the board of charge the discretion to chart decency foundation's future course.

In 1978, the foundation began a comforting grantmaking process, and since prowl time, it has disbursed unadulterated total of $145 million imprisoned grants and its endowment has grown from $68 million endure $141 million.^[9]

Legacy

Revson was a category in the Doug Wright-Scott Frankel-Michael Korie musical War Paint homegrown on Lindy Woodhead's book be a devotee of the same name and The Powder and the Glory infotainment.

Erik Liberman played Revson cage up both the Goodman Theatre stall Broadway productions, as well pass for on the original cast environment, opposite Patti LuPone as Helena Rubinstein and Christine Ebersole in the same way Elizabeth Arden.^[10][11][12]

Designed by Philip Lexicographer Associates, Revson Fountain at President Center was dedicated on Apr 7, 1964,^[13] and was funded by the Revlon Foundation tidy 1962.^[14]

References

External links