Robert D. Stuart Jr., Former Quaker Oats CEO, Has Died
Robert D. Stuart Jr., son of the Quaker Oats co-founder Robert Douglas Stuart, and himself the former chief executive officer of Quaker Oats from 1966 to 1981, died on May 8th at the age of 98.
Stuart joined the company after law school and remained there for 38 years.
During that time, the company introduced many of its still-popular innovations including instant oatmeal and chewy granola bars.
In 1969, under Stuart's guidance, the company also acquired toy manufacturer Fisher-Price.
In 1940, several years before he joined the family business, Stuart and a group of fellow Yale law students founded the America First Committee, which vehemently opposed America's involvement in World War II. The antiwar group grew to more than 800,000 members, including Gerald R. Ford and Charles Lindbergh.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, the committee disbanded and Stuart enlisted in the army, serving in Europe and eventually achieving the rank of major.
After his long tenure with Quaker Oats, President Ronald Reagan appointed Stuart the ambassador of Norway, a title he held until 1989.
Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.