At sixes and sevens with Disney

Published October 07, 2005

Within minutes of announcing that, "For only the sixth time in its history, the Walt Disney Company has a new leader," in the opening of Tuesday's column, What About Bob?, we received the following e-mail from Michael Broggie, author of Walt Disney's Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to a Full-Scale Kingdom:

A writer for Associated Press, and now your missive, says six times Disney has had a new leader. I count seven:

Walt (Disney)
Roy (Disney)
Donn Tatum
Card Walker
Ron Miller
Michael Eisner
Bob Iger

--Michael

So we asked our intrepid columnist, editor, and scribe of Tuesday's column, C. W. Oberleitner, if and how he'd researched this story. Here's what Oberleitner had to say in his own defense:

I researched and outlined the story on Sunday using the biography of Bob Iger published by Disney on their website. That biography refers to Iger as 'the sixth CEO in The Walt Disney Company's 82-year history.'

Like Michael Broggie, I too counted seven rather than six CEOs or heads of the Disney Company. I knew most people think of Card Walker as the first post-Disney CEO; so, it being Sunday, I contacted a fellow writer, who I thought to be very knowledgeable about Disney Company history, and asked if Donn Tatum wasn't the first CEO after Roy Disney, and if the present Disney Company hadn't gotten the total wrong on its website.

My colleague—who I'd love to name but don't really want to embarrass—responded, 'Donn is most often thought to have only been an interim CEO between Roy and the board's selection of Card Walker. That's probably why the company says Iger is only the sixth CEO.'

After reading Michael Broggie's letter, I realized that what I should have done in the first place was to contact the one man who should know the history of Disney leadership better than anyone at the company: Disney archivist Dave Smith. So, on Wednesday I wrote to Dave and asked. In less than an hour I got the following response:

Here's the list of CEOs--obviously in the early days, pre-1968, such a title was never used, and Walt never used it (but you could say he was the equivalent of CEO from 1923-66):

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Roy O. Disney

11/68 - 12/20/71

Donn B. Tatum

12/23/71 - 11/76

E. Cardon Walker

11/76 - 2/83

Ronald W. Miller

2/83 - 9/7/84

Michael D. Eisner

9/22/84 – 9/30/05

Robert A. Iger

10/1/05 -

Tatum was the first non-Disney to serve as CEO.

The Chairman of the Board list is somewhat different:

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Walter E. Disney

1945 - 1960

Roy O. Disney

1964 - 12/20/71

Donn B. Tatum

1971 - 1980

E. Cardon Walker

1980 - 5/1/83

Raymond L. Watson

5/1/83 - 9/22/84

Michael D. Eisner

9/22/84 - 3/3/04

George J. Mitchell

3/3/04 -

- Dave Smith

According to Disney biographer Bob Thomas, 'Walt Disney Productions made its first public offering of stock in 1940… The prospectus for the sale listed Walter E. Disney as President and Executive Production Manager… and Roy O. Disney Executive Vice President and Business Manager.'

Years later, Walt is reported to have eschewed all forms of executive titles. He is said to have seen the duties and responsibilities that came with executive office as impeding his ability to participate in the creative processes of the company that bore his name.

Whether you consider him the sixth or seventh chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, we here at o-meon.com wish Bob Iger all the best in his new job as President and Chief Executive Officer, the Walt Disney Company.

Site List

Walt Disney's Railroad Story: by Michael Broggie

Walt Disney Company: biography of Robert "Bob" Iger

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