Floyd Odlum*

Floyd Odlum, the son of a Methodist minister, was born in 1892 in Union City, Michigan. He began working to support himself at a young age delivering milk and working on a farm. Odlum put himself through college and law school by working as an assistant librarian, taking tickets at the Chautauqua Institution's fairgrounds in New York state, and managing the college paper and dramatic club.

Odlum joined a New York firm, and by 1921, he had become vice president of Electric Bond and Share Company. In 1923, Odlum and a friend formed the United States Company to speculate in purchases of utilities and general securities, growing the company's net assets to $700,000 within two years.

During the summer of 1929, Odlum predicted that the boom on Wall Street would soon end and sold half of Atlas' holdings, as well as $9 million in new securities. When the stock market crashed in October of that year, Odlum had secured $14 million.

Odlum went on to serve as head of the American Arbitration Association, the New York Neurological Institute, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Lovelace Foundation for Medical Research. Although he never asked for a salary, by 1932, he was one of the wealthiest men in the country. He owned Atlas Corp., RKO Studios, Northeast Airlines, Bonwit Teller, and other businesses.

For his service during World War II, Floyd Odlum received the French Legion of Honor and the Certificate of Merit from President Harry S. Truman.