The Passing of Dukes Wooters
January 30, 2015 J. Dukes Wooters, Jr., retired chairman of Cotton Incorporated, died peacefully on January 21, following a short illness. He was 97.
Wooters was the first Chief Executive Officer for Cotton Incorporated, the not-for-profit research and promotion organization founded by American cotton growers in the early 1970’s. Tasked with reviving the competiveness of the domestic cotton industry, which was struggling at the time, Wooters became the first marketer to brand a commodity directly to the consumer.
He was instrumental in the development of the now-iconic Seal of Cotton, which remains a highly recognized graphic symbol for cotton after more than 40 years.
At his induction into the American Textile Hall of Fame in 2013, he was credited with the resurrection of the cotton industry by changing how Americans think about and buy clothing. In December 2014, he was honored as one of the inaugural inductees into the Cotton Research and Promotion Hall of Fame.
Prior to joining Cotton Incorporated, Wooters was a marketing executive at Reader’s Digest. He also served as President of Eye Surgery Fund, Inc. and was Managing Director of Galen Incorporated. A long-time resident of New Canaan, CT, he was a graduate of The Taft School, Lehigh University and Harvard Business School. He also served in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps during World War II.
Wooters is survived by his widow, five daughters, seven grandchildren and five step-children.
Source – The Cotton Board
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