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| J.R. Simplot - ENLARGE |
Early life
Born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1909, he was the third of six children of Charles R. and Dorothy Simplot. A year later, the family relocated a thousand miles (1600 km) west to homestead in the newly irrigated Magic Valley of south central Idaho. After differences with his authoritarian father, Simplot quit school in the eighth grade and left home to strike out on his own at age 14 in 1923. He then worked on a farm near Declo, before getting into the potato and vegetable processing business.
J. R. Simplot Company
By World War II, the J. R. Simplot Company had become the largest shipper of fresh potatoes in the nation.
In 1967, Simplot and McDonald's founder Ray Kroc agreed by handshake that the Simplot Company would provide frozen French fries to the restaurant chain. Previously, restaurants had cut potatoes at each location for fresh French fries, but the favored Russet potato was not available for three months in the summer, leading to a quality control problem. Simplot was able to supply frozen Russet potatoes all year long. By 1972, all fries were frozen. The frozen fry deal led to expansion of Simplot potato processing plants and construction in 1977 of a new plant at Hermiston, Oregon. By 2005, Simplot supplied more than half of all French fries for the fast food chain. Simplot also produces fertilizers for agriculture.
Simplot retired as president of his company in 1973, but remained as chairman until 1994. He held the title of Chairman Emeritus until his death in 2008. Simplot received an honorary degree from Utah State University in Logan in 2001, honoring him for his many contributions to the agricultural industry of America, particularly the Intermountain West. Read more »»»
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