Georges Frederic Doriot was a French-American known for his prolific careers in military, academics, business and education.
15 Facts About Georges Doriot
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An emigre from France, Doriot became a professor of Industrial Management at Harvard Business School and then director of the US Army's Military Planning Division, Quartermaster General, during World War II, eventually being promoted to brigadier general.
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Georges Doriot joined French army in artillery in 1917 but then returned to study when World War I ended and graduated from University of Paris in 1920.
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Georges Doriot emigrated to America in 1921 to study for an MBA at Harvard Business School but dropped out for a career in Wall Street.
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Georges Doriot became a US citizen in 1940 in order to be qualified to assume a military post created for him by a former student, Major General Edmund Gregory, as lieutenant colonel in the US Army Quartermaster Corps and then as Director of the Military Planning Division for the Quartermaster General.
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In that capacity, Georges Doriot managed all the procurement for the US Army, from trucks to uniforms to rations.
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Georges Doriot's classes were primarily lecture-based, with little discussion, reflecting his belief in the importance of discipline and long-term strategic thinking.
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Georges Doriot envisioned a business school that would unite leaders from different countries, including the former hostiles, to rebuild economies and promote lasting peace.
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In 1955, Georges Doriot presented this idea to the Paris Chamber of Commerce, whose presidents, Jean Marcou and Philippe Dennis, not only funded the venture but became first presidents of the school.
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Georges Doriot selected Claude Janssen and Olivier Giscard d'Estaing, his former students at Harvard, as his co-founders.
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In 1946, Georges Doriot returned to Harvard and the same year he founded American Research and Development Corporation, one of the first two venture capital firms along with Ralph Flanders and Karl Compton, to encourage private sector investments in businesses run by soldiers who were returning from World War II.
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Until his death, Georges Doriot remained friends with Ken Olsen, Digital's founder.
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Georges Doriot believed in long-term investment and nurturing startups, famously comparing his role to that of a parent caring for a sick child, focusing on the potential of the people behind the businesses rather than seeking early exits.
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In 1972, Georges Doriot merged ARDC with Textron after investing in over 150 companies.
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Georges Doriot died of lung cancer in 1987 in Boston, Massachusetts.