Joseph Lanier Jr. (February 9, 1932 — August 11, 2021) was an American heir and businessman.
His great–grandfather, LaFayette Lanier, founded the Alabama and Georgia Manufacturing Company in 1866. By 1882, it became known as the West Point Manufacturing Company. It specialized in sails for clipper ships and cotton covers for the Conestoga wagons that crossed the prairies. In the 1980s, Joseph Lamar Lanier Jr. took over, focusing on brand-name product lines such as Lady Pepperell sheets and towels and Cabin Crafts carpets. In 1989, he reluctantly sold it to William F. Farley, Chairman of Farley, Inc., and received US$4 million in golden parachute.
From November 1989 to August 2006, he served as Chairman of the Board of Dan River, Inc., a textile company headquartered in Danville, Virginia. From 1980 to April 29, 2010, he also served on the boards of the Torchmark Corporation. He served on the board of Alliance One International (formerly known as DIMON), a leaf tobacco merchant, from 1995 to 2006. He has served on the Boards of Waddell & Reed and SunTrust Banks.
He is a member of the Augusta National Golf Club.
He died on August 11, 2021.
References
- ^ Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Joseph Lanier, Jr.
- ^ Forbes
- ^ Alliance One International Board of Directors Archived 2013-01-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robert J. Cole, Pepperell Agrees to Farley Offer, The New York Times, February 24, 1989
- ^ Kenneth L. Gilpin, West Point-Pepperell Buyer Steps Down as Its Chairman, The New York Times, October 24, 1992
- ^ Patton, Randall L. (2002). Shaw Industries: A History. University of Georgia Press. pp. 125–129. ISBN 978-0-8203-2364-0.
- Cindy Skrzycki, A Major Deal Maker of the '80s Is Drowning in Debt in the '90s : Finance: William F. Farley's hot streak has cooled along with junk bonds. And his plans for West Point-Pepperell have stalled., The Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1990
- Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Dan River, Inc.
- Augusta National Golf Club members list, USA Today
- "Joseph L. Lanier, Jr". Alabama Academy of Honor.
- "Joe Lanier Jr., a pillar of U.S. textiles manufacturing, 89". Home Textiles Today. 8 September 2021.