Winton M. Blount

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Winton Malcolm "Red" Blount, Jr. (born February 1, 1921 in Union Springs , Alabama ; † October 24, 2002 in Highlands , North Carolina ) was United States Postmaster General from 1969 to 1972 . He also became known as the founder and chief executive officer of international construction giant Blount International . During his tenure, the US Post moved from a ministry to an agency.

Winton M. Blount, statue in the Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery, Alabama

Life

Winton M. Blount was born on February 1, 1921 in Union Springs, Alabama. During the Second World War he took part in training as a B-29 pilot in the United States Army Air Forces . However, the war ended before his training ended.

Winton and his brother Houston started a construction company called Blount Brothers Corp in 1946 . Houston left the company in 1948. Winton continued to work as President and Chairman of the company until he took over a government position in 1969 , which included construction projects such as the First Avenue Viaduct in Birmingham , Alabama, the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and the 39A launch complex in Cape Canaveral , the launch pad for Apollo 11 , performed.

He was named Alabama Chairman of Citizens for Eisenhower in 1952. He then served as Southeastern Campaign Chairman of Richard Nixon's unsuccessful presidential campaign against John F. Kennedy in 1960 . He then became the president of Alabama Chamber of Commerce ( Engl. Chamber of Commerce selected) and in 1968 by the US Chamber of Commerce.

In 1964, he was appointed to the National Citizens Committee for Community Relations by President Lyndon B. Johnson to advise the White House on enforcing the new Civil Rights Act of 1964 , despite doubts about the new law.

He was appointed US Postmaster General in the Nixon Administration in 1969 and in 1971 led the transition of the US Post Office Department from the cabinet level of government to a separate agency in his new position . Blount was the last postmaster general to hold cabinet rank and the first head of the US Postal Service .

In 1972 he ran as a Republican for his home state of Alabama, unsuccessfully, against John Sparkman for a seat in the US Senate .

From May 1972 to November 1972, George W. Bush supported Blount's Senate campaign as political director after completing his military service in the Texas Air National Guard .

Blount returned in 1973 to Blount International Inc. , whose president he was again in 1974. Between 1981 and 1984 Blount Inc. built King Saud University in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia .

In 1980, he was the national chairman of John Connally's unsuccessful primary election campaign that ultimately won Ronald Reagan the nomination.

In 1996 the Greenwich Publishing Group published his autobiography , Doing It My Way , which he co- authored with Richard Blodgett . In 1999 he sold Blount International to Lehman Brothers for $ 1.35 billion.

Blount died on October 24, 2002 in Highlands, North Carolina at the age of 81.

Charitable work

Blount and his wife, Carolyn, made a name for themselves through community service and sponsorship. Together they founded the Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery , Alabama. This is where the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is located and the park is also the venue for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival .

An elementary school that is part of the Montgomery County School System was also completed in 2003 and named Wynton M. Blount Elementary School . The Blount Elementary is located in the rapidly growing east side of town and in 2007 was one of the largest primary schools in the region.

The Blount Undergraduate Initiative , a funding program for college students known as Blount Scholars with good academic record, was launched at the University of Alabama . The Blount Scholars live in the Blount Living Learning Center on campus.

The Winton M. Blount Center for Postal Studies and the Winton M. Blount Research Chair , both at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum , are funded by a foundation from the Blounts' estate.

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personal data
SURNAME Blount, Winton M.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blount, Winton Malcolm; Blount, Winton Malcolm Jr; Blount, Red
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician and US Postmaster General
DATE OF BIRTH February 1, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Union Springs , Alabama
DATE OF DEATH October 24, 2002
Place of death Highlands , North Carolina