Background
Milliken, Roger was born on October 24, 1915 in New York City. Son of Gerrish and Agnes (Gayley) Milliken.
textile and chemical company executive
Milliken, Roger was born on October 24, 1915 in New York City. Son of Gerrish and Agnes (Gayley) Milliken.
AB, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 1937. Doctor of Laws (honorary), Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. Doctor of Laws (honorary), Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana.
Doctor of Laws (honorary), Philadelphia College Textiles and Science. Doctor of Laws (honorary), Brenau University, Gainsville, Georgia. Doctor of Laws (honorary), The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina.
D. Textile Industry (honorary), Clemson University, South Carolina. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Converse College, Spartanburg. D. Business Administration (honorary), University South Carolina, Spartanburg.
Doctor of Laws (honorary), LaGrange College, Georgia. Doctor of Laws (honorary), Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina. HHD (honorary), Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina.
Doctor of Science (honorary), North Carolina State University, 2007.
He served as President and then CEO of his family's company, Milliken & Company, from 1947 until 2005. He continued to serve as Chairman of the Board until his death in 2010. Milliken is known as a political godfather to the American conservative movement.
Deering Milliken Company was co-founded by Roger's grandfather, Seth Milliken, and William Deering in 1865. The small woolens fabric company was initially based in Portland, Maine, but moved to New York City in 1868 after William Deering left Deering Milliken to start the Deering Harvester company (which is today known as Navistar International). In 1884, Deering Milliken Company invested in its first property near Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the company's headquarters have been based since 1958.
In 1976, Deering Milliken officially became Milliken & Company.
Chairman Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission. Trustee Wofford College, South Carolina. Member of American Institute of Architects (honorary), American Society Landscape Architects (honorary), Garden Club American (member-at-large), Yeamans Hall, Augusta National Golf Club, Links, Union League.
Married Justine Van Rensselaer Hooper, June 5, 1948 (deceased 2003). Children: Justine, Nancy, Roger, David, Weston.