Stanley M. Rumbough, Jr.

Stanley Maddox Rumbough Jr. (April 25, 1920 – September 27, 2017) was an American businessman, entrepreneur, distinguished veteran, philanthropist, activist, longtime civic leader and a member of Colgate-Palmolive. As a businessman and investor, he was a founder, chief executive officer or director of more than 40 companies in the United States, West Indies and Mexico.

Biography
He was born in Manhattan, New York City on April 25, 1920 and attended Yale University, where he was an editor of campus humor magazine The Yale Record. His parents were Lieutenant colonel Stanley Maddox Rumbough Sr. (1886–1961) and Elizabeth Morse Colgate (1889–1962), great-granddaughter of William Colgate, founder of Colgate-Palmolive. He had one sister, Elizabeth Colgate Rumbough.

During World War II, he served in the United States Marine Corps as a decorated fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater, who flew more than 50 combat missions, receiving two awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross and eight Air Medals.

For many years, he worked for a variety of manufacturing companies.

Rumbough also had an interest in Republican politics.

In 1951, he was co-founder (with Charles F. Willis) of the Citizens for Eisenhower movement, which helped develop grass roots support for the presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Branches of Citizens for Eisenhower were established in each state and helped plan local campaign activities. At the height of the 1952 campaign the national headquarters of Citizens for Eisenhower in New York City had over 700 volunteers and an extensive administrative staff.

After Eisenhower became president, Rumbough became a special assistant in the White House where he helped organize the Executive Branch Liaison Office. This office compiled newsletters, known as Fact Papers, analyzing statements by the President and Cabinet officers on a variety of issues, and explaining major administration programs and accomplishments. The newsletters were circulated to members of the administration who had been appointed by the president, which enabled political appointees to follow the evolution of administration policy. The office staff also helped coordinate public speeches made by administration officials to ensure that the officials would appear in venues that would be most beneficial to the administration.

Stanley Rumbough died on September 27, 2017 at the age of 97.

Personal life
He was married first to heiress, socialité and actress Dina Merrill from 1946 to 1966; the couple had three children: Stanley Hutton Rumbough, David Post Rumbough (1950–1973) and Nedenia Colgate Rumbough. He is survived by his second wife, Janne Harlow Rumbough, a champion dressage rider.