Walter Hoving

Walter Hoving (December 2, 1897 – November 27, 1989) was a Swedish-born American businessman and writer. He was the chairman of Tiffany & Company from 1955 to 1980.[1]

Early life

Hoving was born in Stockholm on December 2, 1897.[2] He was a son of Johannes Hoving, a surgeon,[3] and Helga (née Adamsen) Hoving, an opera singer. His brother was the dentist, Dr. Hannes Hoving.[3] In 1931, his father, who planned the Jenny Lind centennial memorial celebration, was decorated by King Gustaf V of Sweden with the Royal Order of the Northern Star, 1st class, as well as the Cross of the Royal Order of the House of Vasa.[4]

Career

He started working in 1924, at R. H. Macy & Company and became vice-president at the age of 30. He studied arts at Metropolitan Museum for four years to enhance his knowledge of painting, textile design and furniture. In the year, 1932 he joined Montgomery Ward & Company as vice-president in charge of sales where he worked for four years. In 1936, he joined Lord & Taylor,[5] and worked as the president of the firm until 1946.

Hoving founded the Hoving Corporation in 1946, which included Bonwit Teller until he sold it in 1960.[6]

Tiffany & Company

Hoving bought a controlling share of Tiffany & Co. in 1955, at that time company's performance appeared to be gradually declining with around $7 million worth of business a year.[7] Under his supervision, company's sales grew up to $100 million by the year 1980.[1]

He hired Van Day Truex, a design director and allowed him to design freely without worrying about selling it. He also hired famous designers like Jean Schlumberger, Elsa Peretti, and Gene Moore. Moore went on to design Tiffany's famous Fifth Avenue windows.[1]

Hoving maintained standards at Tiffany & Co. by refusing to sell diamond rings to men, nothing silver plated and no account charged for customers who had been impolite towards the salespeople.[1]

Sales to John F. Kennedy

Hoving made two sales to President John F. Kennedy. Once in 1960, Hoving met then President-elect, after store hours, and assisted him in selecting a brooch by Jean Schlumberger with rubies and diamonds for Jacqueline Kennedy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed the brooch in the exhibition Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years.[8]

Kennedy contacted Hoving again in 1962 and requested thirty two Lucite calendar mementos for his assistants who helped him during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Hoving's responded with the gist that they don't sell plastic. However, Tiffany's provided mementos to Kennedy made of silver.[9]

Later years

Avon Products, Inc. acquired Tiffany & Company in 1979. Hoving resigned following year and started his own consulting firm that specialized in retail design and management and started work on his memoirs that were never published. He also focused his efforts on his philanthropic activities and stayed at his home in Newport, Rhode Island. He contacted David Mitchell then Chairman of Avon offering to purchase back Tiffany & Company, but his offers were never seriously entertained. Henry B. Platt took over Tiffany & Company as the chairman after Hoving's resignation but was fired five months later on the grounds of incompetency.

In an interview for The New York Times, Angela Cummings stated: At Tiffany's I met Walter Hoving, she recalled, ''and he looked at the little portfolio I had and said, You want to work for us, go ahead and try. It was like a threat, but at the time I didn't even know who he was''.[10]

birth date	December 2, 1897
birth place	Stockholm, Sweden
death date	November 27, 1989
death place	Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
occupation	Former chairman, Tiffany & Company
education	De Witt Clinton High School
alma mater	Brown University
spouse	Mary Osgood Field (m. 1924-1936) Pauline Vandervoort Rogers (m. 1937-1976) Jane Pickens Langley (m. 1977)
children	2, including Thomas Hoving

Early life

Career

Tiffany & Company

Sales to John F. Kennedy

Later years

Personal life

Philanthropy and legacy

Books

External links

References