Former GE chief Jack Welch dies

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Jack Welch in 2013 Associated Press/Photo by Richard Drew (file)

Jack Welch, dubbed by Fortune as “manager of the century” for his work at General Electric, died on Sunday of renal failure. He was 84.

Who was Welch? Born Nov. 19, 1935, in Massachusetts, he got a job at GE in 1960 as a chemical engineer. Welch went on to become CEO in 1981. During his two decades in leadership, he transformed GE into one of the most valuable companies in the world. Its market value grew from $12 billion to $140 billion. Welch wrote several books on management. Along with his third wife Suzy, his children Katherine, John, Anne, and Mark survive him.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s profile of Ed Morgan, a one-time speechwriter for Welch who left his corporate job to lead the Bowery Mission in New York City.

Rachel Lynn Aldrich

Rachel is a former assistant editor for WORLD Digital. She is a Patrick Henry College and World Journalism Institute graduate. Rachel resides with her husband in Wheaton, Ill.