Norton Simon. Norton Winfred Simon was an American billionaire industrialist and philanthropist based in California.
Norton, at that time, was one of the richest men in America. He was the founder of Val Vita Food Products, which later acquired Hunt's Foods.
His significant art collection is housed in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. After his death in 1993, Simon's wife, actress Jennifer Jones, remained an emeritus of the Museum until her death in 2009.
Simon was born February 5, 1907 in Portland, Oregon, to Myer and Lillian Simon. He had two younger sisters, Evelyn and Marcia.
Simon's father was a businessman who operated his own wholesale goods store, Simon Sells For Less. though the family's financial situation fluctuated. When he was a child, his parents purchased a cottage in Seaside, Oregon, where he spent time during his youth. His mother died in Seaside when Simon was fourteen of complications stemming from type 1 diabetes. When he was sixteen, Simon and his family relocated to San Francisco, where had graduated from high school in 1924. In 1925, at his father's insistence, he enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley, but left his pre-law studies within the first six weeks to start a sheet metal distribution company. He enjoyed early success and invested $7000 in 1927 in an orange juice bottling plant in Fullerton, California, which was insolvent, and renam
Norton, at that time, was one of the richest men in America. He was the founder of Val Vita Food Products, which later acquired Hunt's Foods.
His significant art collection is housed in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. After his death in 1993, Simon's wife, actress Jennifer Jones, remained an emeritus of the Museum until her death in 2009.
Simon was born February 5, 1907 in Portland, Oregon, to Myer and Lillian Simon. He had two younger sisters, Evelyn and Marcia.
Simon's father was a businessman who operated his own wholesale goods store, Simon Sells For Less. though the family's financial situation fluctuated. When he was a child, his parents purchased a cottage in Seaside, Oregon, where he spent time during his youth. His mother died in Seaside when Simon was fourteen of complications stemming from type 1 diabetes. When he was sixteen, Simon and his family relocated to San Francisco, where had graduated from high school in 1924. In 1925, at his father's insistence, he enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley, but left his pre-law studies within the first six weeks to start a sheet metal distribution company. He enjoyed early success and invested $7000 in 1927 in an orange juice bottling plant in Fullerton, California, which was insolvent, and renam
Wikipedia ...