Background
Neil Hosler McElroy was born in Berea, Ohio, and was the son of Malcolm Ross McElroy and Susan Harriet Hosler, both of whom were schoolteachers. In 1912, the family moved to Madisonville, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati.
Neil Hosler McElroy was born in Berea, Ohio, and was the son of Malcolm Ross McElroy and Susan Harriet Hosler, both of whom were schoolteachers. In 1912, the family moved to Madisonville, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati.
McElroy attended Cincinnati public schools and graduated with honors in 1921. In September 1921, he entered Harvard University and graduated with a B. A. degree in June 1925.
McElroy immediately went to work as a junior clerk for the advertising department of Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati. After four years he was promoted to director of promotions. McElroy remained in charge of promotions until 1940, when he became general manager in charge of promotions and advertising. On October 13, 1943, he was elected to the board of directors and made vice-president in charge of promotions and advertising. Three years later, he became general manager and vice-president of promotions and advertising. On October 13, 1948, he was elected president of Procter and Gamble, a post he held until August 7, 1957. During his tenure, his company's annual income exceeded $100 million for the first time. His own income grew to $285, 000 by 1957.
Over the years, McElroy had been a willing public servant, providing informal advice to President Eisenhower on foreign and defense policy during the 1950's. Thus it followed that on Aug. 7, 1957, President Eisenhower officially selected him to succeed Charles Erwin Wilson as his second secretary of defense. Eisenhower also noted that McElroy's service meant a great cut in salary because the secretary's job paid only $25, 000. McElroy served as secretary of defense for twenty-six months. During his tenure, he became the first official to raise the Cold War issue of a "missile gap" with the Soviet Union. The debate over whether there really was a gap dominated the last years of the second Eisenhower administration. Not only did McElroy preside over the Defense Department during an era of vast changes in U. S. military posture, but four months after his appointment the United States launched its first space satellite. When he resigned for financial reasons in December 1959, the rocket age and space race were well under way. He was replaced by Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Immediately after his resignation, McElroy became chairman of the board of Procter and Gamble, the second chair to serve since the death of William Cooper Procter in 1934. He served in this capacity until 1972. In addition, he was on the boards of directors of General Electric and Chrysler. In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon appointed McElroy chairman of an eighteen-member commission on school finance that was to conduct a two-year study on ways to improve funding for American education. The final report recommended that states take over funding to alleviate the disparity between rich and poor school districts. The same plan was resurrected by presidents Bush and Clinton in the 1990's. After completing his assignment for President Nixon in late 1971, McElroy learned that he had cancer. He died in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Quotations: "In the space age, man will be able to go around the world in two hours - one hour for flying and one hour to get to the airport. "
Quotes from others about the person
"McElroy was a brilliant sales and advertising executive capable of quick decisions and with a mania for facts. "
"McElroy is one of the most capable men I know. " - Charles Erwin Wilson
On June 29, 1929, he married Mary Camilla Fry; they had three children.