John Sargent Pillsbury, Jr.

John Sargent Pillsbury Jr. (1912–2005) was an American attorney, insurance executive, community leader, and patron of the arts in the U.S. State of Minnesota. He was a member of the Minnesota Pillsbury family, "one of Minnesota's most notable, public-spirited families" which built its fortunes in flour milling, iron ore, and forestry, and which practiced "a civic-minded capitalism that gave back to the community by supporting education, the arts and public institutions".

John S. Pillsbury was part of this tradition. In addition to his legal and business career, he led two organizations responsible for building significant buildings anchoring the ends of the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, the Northwestern National Life Building of the eponymous company which Pillsbury led, and Orchestra Hall, the home of the Minnesota Orchestra, which Pillsbury served as board chair. He was a board member for three educational institutions, several other nonprofits, and publicly held corporations. Long active in the Republican Party, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Minnesota.

Early years and education Pillsbury, born October 28, 1912, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a son of John Sargent Pillsbury and Eleanor Jerusha Lawler Pillsbury. The senior John Pillsbury was the son of Charles Alfred Pillsbury, a cofounder of the Pillsbury Company. The other co-founder was Charles' uncle, also named John Sargent Pillsbury, who had been governor of Minnesota in the nineteenth century. Upon discharge from the service he returned to the private practice of law with his former firm, and became a partner in 1946.

Very early in his presidency of the company he contracted for and initiated the use of computers for record-keeping and claims processing, which was uncommon in the mid-1950s. Pillsbury established personal connections with the company's agents—its sales force, which had direct communications with the policyholders, who held equity in the company. and his relationship with the architect has been described as a "wonderful association" and a "real rapport". then a regional architect. The new headquarters for the company was a modern building, incorporating Gothic arches. and led two life insurance industry organizations, including the Life Insurance Association of America.

Political and community activities Pillsbury ran for the office of Governor of Minnesota in 1966, an office held by his great-granduncle some 90 years before. The Republican Party held an internal race for who the party's endorsement in the primary would be. Harold LeVander defeated Pillsbury after sixteen ballots. Pillsbury then withdrew from the race.

A member of the Pillsbury family had been on the board of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra since 1907, four years after its founding. The orchestra changed its name to the Minnesota Orchestra in 1968, and on January 1, 1972, John S. Pillsbury became chairman of its board. Throughout its history, even during the Eugene Ormandy and Antal Dorati eras, the orchestra did not have its own concert hall. Its performances were principally given in the cavernous but problematic Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. The board decided to build a home for the orchestra. Pillsbury was involved in virtually all aspects of the new Orchestra Hall: negotiating a complex arrangement to obtain land, provide a parking ramp, and build the hall adjacent to a new plaza on Nicollet Mall; fundraising, stewardship of investments, negotiating recording contracts and labor agreements, scheduling, touring, and publicity.

Pillsbury served on the boards of The Pillsbury Company, Boise Cascade, Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, Northwestern National Bank and its successor Northwestern Bancorporation (now Wells Fargo), and Wells Fargo Mortgage and Equity Trust.

He was a founding director of Twin Cities Public Television, and chaired the Minneapolis Community Chest, a forerunner to the United Way. He also was a trustee of the University of Minnesota Foundation. His interests were not limited to academic education; Pillsbury also was a member of the board of the Dunwoody Institute,

In 1966, the University of Minnesota Law School honored Pillsbury with its "Outstanding Achievement Award" for his contributions to "law, business, and politics, as well as fine arts, education, and health and social research", and for his work as "first president of the University Community Development Corporation".

Personal life Pillsbury married Katharine Harrison Clark in 1936. They had four children; three boys and one girl.

An avid sailor, he won the Class A scow championship of the Inland Lake Yachting Association five times,

John Pillsbury died March 28, 2005, of natural causes, and was buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. He was survived by his wife of 68 years and all four of their children.