Francis, Clarence, 1888-1985

Corporation executive.

Clarence Francis (1888-1985) business executive and internationally recognized expert on food, was born in New York in 1888. Upon graduating from Amherst College in 1910 he went to New York City intending to apply for work at the Standard Oil Corporation. By mistake, Francis went to the wrong office and soon found himself working for the Corn Products Refining Company, a small food manufacturing firm. This inauspicious beginning led to a life-long interest in the food industry. By the time Francis retired from the General Foods Corporation in 1954 he had risen to become Chairman of the Board of Directors. In addition to his work in the food industry, Francis also served as a government consultant. By 1933 he was recognized as an expert on food production and distribution. When the National Recovery Administration, one of President Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies, was created to establish codes to regulate business operations, Francis was hired as a consultant to help draft codes for the food industry. The successful conclusion of this task led to further demands for his services. Between 1940 and 1943 he assisted in defense mobilization; from 1943 to 1945 he led a committee which studied the food services at several naval bases in the United States; he studied manpower training and utilization in the Defense Department, 1951-52; and he evaluated the Mutual Security Program in 1953. Francis’ consultant work required taking extended leaves from his work at the General Foods Corporation. After his retirement in 1954 he was able to devote most of his time to government service. He became a special consultant to President Eisenhower with the responsibility of disposing of the vast agricultural surpluses which the federal government had accumulated. At the same time he served as chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Hoover Report, and was the American representative on the European Productivity Agency. At the end of the Eisenhower administration Francis left government services and returned to private business. His last major activity was with the Economic Development Council of New York City, from which he retired in 1972 at the age of eighty-three.