Joe M. Rodgers
Encyclopedia
Joe M. Rodgers was an American
construction company executive and political operative who served as the United States Ambassador to France
.
Rodgers was born on November 12, 1933 in Bay Minette, Alabama
and was raised in Montgomery, Alabama
. He attended the University of Alabama
, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in civil engineering
and then served for three years in the United States Coast Guard
.
at the Augusta National Golf Club
, Rodgers ended up sharing a home with Thomas Frist, a doctor from Nashville, Tennessee
who had just started a private hospital company called Hospital Corporation of America
. The two built a connection while walking the golf course and Frist offered Rodgers a contract to build a hospital in Erin, Tennessee
for HCA. By 1970, Rodgers had built 19 hospitals for Hospital Corporation of America and had built 200 for the company by 1979, generating $120 million in revenue that year.
His firm took on a project in April 1972 to complete the building of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company
's Opryland USA
complex which had been scheduled to open on May 19, but had been delayed due to a strike by workers at another construction firm. Rodgers and his subcontractors crossed the picket lines and were able to earn a bonus for completing the project two days early, which was accomplished by working on shifts around the clock. The $50,000 bonus was turned over to local Boy and Girl Scout groups.
He sold a majority stake in his construction company after a 1977 heart attack and shifted into real estate development. Projects he developed included Vanderbilt Plaza and the Third National Bank building (which has since been renamed the Fifth Third Center), both in downtown Nashville. He started American Constructors in 1979, which built Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center
and the Wildhorse Saloon
.
, Rodgers was an early supporter of Ronald Reagan's
unsuccessful effort against President Gerald Ford
and was finance chairman for Reagan's Tennessee primary campaign. He served as the Republican National Committee
's finance chairman from 1978 to 1980, raising $75 million during his tenure. After Reagan was elected President in 1980, he named Rodgers to serve on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
. In 1984, building on his continued efforts raising funds for Republican candidates, he was the finance chief for Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign
.
. Rodgers had never been a diplomat and spoke no French
, and spent six hours a day for a four month period studying the language. Rodgers undertook a fundraising campaign to collect $500,000 to be used towards fixing up the ambassador's residence, raising $100,000 towards this goal by September 1985 after writing to 250 U.S. companies for donations. He and his wife resided in the official residence in Paris, where they would serve GooGoo Cluster
s, a hometown Nashville delicacy, to their diplomatic guests.
Rodgers accompanied President of France Francois Mitterrand
on a Seine River boat ride to the Île aux Cygnes where they unveiled a renovated replica of the Statue of Liberty
, as part of ceremonies marking the centennial of the French gift to the United States. Rodgers represented the United States at ceremonies on June 6, 1986 to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Normandy Landings.
Mitterrand recognized Rodgers with the rank of Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor
.
as "a leading candidate to head the Department of Commerce
" to succeed Malcolm Baldrige, Jr.
, a post that ultimately went to William Verity Jr.
Rodgers was named to serve as chairman and acting CEO of Berlitz International, following the mysterious death of former part-owner Robert Maxwell
in 1991. He also served as a director of several major corporations and was active in a number of local civic, charitable and religious organizations.
He was fundraising co-chair for Fred Thompson's 2008 presidential campaign bid.
Rodgers died at age 75 on February 2, 2009 of cancer. He was survived by his wife, Helen Martin "Honey" Rodgers, to whom he had been married for 52 years, as well as a daughter, a son and eight grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
construction company executive and political operative who served as the United States Ambassador to France
United States Ambassador to France
This article is about the United States Ambassador to France. There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty...
.
Rodgers was born on November 12, 1933 in Bay Minette, Alabama
Bay Minette, Alabama
Bay Minette is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 7,820. According to the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, the city had an population of about 7,726 people. The city is the county seat of Baldwin County...
and was raised in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. He attended the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and then served for three years in the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
.
Construction
Rodgers had worked as sales manager for Dixie Concrete Pipe and went out on his own, starting a construction firm in 1966. Having been given a ticket and a house share for the 1968 Masters Tournament1968 Masters Tournament
The 1968 Masters Tournament was contested from April 11 to April 14 at Augusta National Golf Club. It was the 32nd Masters Tournament. 74 players entered the tournament and 52 of them made the cut at five-over-par ....
at the Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club, located in Augusta, Georgia, is a famous men's golf club. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and designed by Alister MacKenzie on the site of a former indigo plantation, the club opened for play in January 1933. Since 1934, it has played host to the annual...
, Rodgers ended up sharing a home with Thomas Frist, a doctor from Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
who had just started a private hospital company called Hospital Corporation of America
Hospital Corporation of America
Hospital Corporation of America is the largest private operator of health care facilities in the world, It is based in Nashville, Tennessee and is widely considered to be the single largest factor in making that city a hotspot for healthcare enterprise.-History:The founders of HCA include Jack C....
. The two built a connection while walking the golf course and Frist offered Rodgers a contract to build a hospital in Erin, Tennessee
Erin, Tennessee
Erin is a city in Houston County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,490 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Houston County.-Geography:Erin is located at...
for HCA. By 1970, Rodgers had built 19 hospitals for Hospital Corporation of America and had built 200 for the company by 1979, generating $120 million in revenue that year.
His firm took on a project in April 1972 to complete the building of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company
National Life and Accident Insurance Company
The National Life and Accident Insurance Company is a former life insurance company which was based in Nashville, Tennessee.National Life and Accident began in 1900 as the National Sick and Accident Association, a mutual company...
's Opryland USA
Opryland USA
Opryland USA was an amusement park located in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. It operated seasonally from 1972 until 1997...
complex which had been scheduled to open on May 19, but had been delayed due to a strike by workers at another construction firm. Rodgers and his subcontractors crossed the picket lines and were able to earn a bonus for completing the project two days early, which was accomplished by working on shifts around the clock. The $50,000 bonus was turned over to local Boy and Girl Scout groups.
He sold a majority stake in his construction company after a 1977 heart attack and shifted into real estate development. Projects he developed included Vanderbilt Plaza and the Third National Bank building (which has since been renamed the Fifth Third Center), both in downtown Nashville. He started American Constructors in 1979, which built Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum identifies and preserves the evolving history and traditions of country music and educates its audiences...
, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Schermerhorn Symphony Center is a symphony center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Ground was broken for construction on December 3, 2003. The center formally opened on September 9, 2006, with a gala concert conducted by Leonard Slatkin and broadcast by PBS affiliates throughout the state...
and the Wildhorse Saloon
Wildhorse Saloon
The Wildhorse Saloon is a country/western-themed restaurant, live music venue, and dance club located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company. Originally opened on June 1, 1994 in a converted warehouse, the Wildhorse initially capitalized on the line dancing...
.
Politics
During the 1976 Republican presidential primariesRepublican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1976
The 1976 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1976 U.S. presidential election...
, Rodgers was an early supporter of Ronald Reagan's
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
unsuccessful effort against President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
and was finance chairman for Reagan's Tennessee primary campaign. He served as the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
's finance chairman from 1978 to 1980, raising $75 million during his tenure. After Reagan was elected President in 1980, he named Rodgers to serve on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
The President's Intelligence Advisory Board is an advisor to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. According to its self-description, it "...provides advice to the President concerning the quality and adequacy of intelligence collection, of analysis and estimates, of...
. In 1984, building on his continued efforts raising funds for Republican candidates, he was the finance chief for Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign
United States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
.
Ambassador to France
In recognition of his efforts, Reagan named him in 1985 to a four-year term as the United States Ambassador to FranceUnited States Ambassador to France
This article is about the United States Ambassador to France. There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty...
. Rodgers had never been a diplomat and spoke no French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and spent six hours a day for a four month period studying the language. Rodgers undertook a fundraising campaign to collect $500,000 to be used towards fixing up the ambassador's residence, raising $100,000 towards this goal by September 1985 after writing to 250 U.S. companies for donations. He and his wife resided in the official residence in Paris, where they would serve GooGoo Cluster
GooGoo Cluster
The GooGoo Cluster is an American candy bar sold since 1899 in Nashville, Tennessee. It was developed by Howell Campbell and the Standard Candy Company. The disk-shaped candy bar contains marshmallow, caramel and roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate...
s, a hometown Nashville delicacy, to their diplomatic guests.
Rodgers accompanied President of France Francois Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
on a Seine River boat ride to the Île aux Cygnes where they unveiled a renovated replica of the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, as part of ceremonies marking the centennial of the French gift to the United States. Rodgers represented the United States at ceremonies on June 6, 1986 to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Normandy Landings.
Mitterrand recognized Rodgers with the rank of Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Personal
In 1987, Rodgers was described by The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as "a leading candidate to head the Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
" to succeed Malcolm Baldrige, Jr.
Malcolm Baldrige, Jr.
Howard Malcolm "Mac" Baldrige, Jr. was the 26th United States Secretary of Commerce. He was the son of H. Malcolm Baldrige, a Congressman from Nebraska, and the brother of Letitia Baldrige....
, a post that ultimately went to William Verity Jr.
William Verity Jr.
William Verity, Jr. was a U.S. administrator and steel industrialist. He served as the Secretary of Commerce between 1987 and 1989, under President Ronald Reagan.-Biography:...
Rodgers was named to serve as chairman and acting CEO of Berlitz International, following the mysterious death of former part-owner Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
in 1991. He also served as a director of several major corporations and was active in a number of local civic, charitable and religious organizations.
He was fundraising co-chair for Fred Thompson's 2008 presidential campaign bid.
Rodgers died at age 75 on February 2, 2009 of cancer. He was survived by his wife, Helen Martin "Honey" Rodgers, to whom he had been married for 52 years, as well as a daughter, a son and eight grandchildren.