Robert Shetterly

Robert B. Shetterly (19151997) was an American businessman and philanthropist, known for serving as chairman and chief executive officer of The Clorox Company. Under Shetterly's leadership, Clorox grew from a small, single-product subsidiary of Procter & Gamble into a major independent, diversified company.

Shetterly was also involved in numerous philanthropic and civic causes in Oakland, California, most notably as the chairman of the board of trustees of Mills College and the founder of the East Oakland Youth Development Center.

Early life Robert B. Shetterly was born in 1915 in Corning, New York. He attended the University of Rochester, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1936.

Career After graduation, Shetterly joined Procter & Gamble, where he focused on advertising.

In 1952, Shetterly was named the manager of a new brand promotion division at Procter & Gamble. By 1961, he was named manager of the Food Products Division and a member of the corporate Administrative Committee. In 1965, he took over the management of Clorox, which was then a subsidiary that Procter & Gamble had acquired. Shetterly was elevated to the company's chief executive in 1968, and was retained in that role when the company was divested from Procter & Gamble in 1969. However, most of Shetterly's acquisitions ultimately failed to realize a consistent profit, and some were eventually sold.

In 1979, Shetterly was named chairman of the board of Clorox and remained in that position until 1982. He retired as the company's CEO in 1980.

Community involvement Shetterly was the driving force behind the establishment of the East Oakland Youth Development Center, for which he raised funds and donated an endowment. He also served as chairman of the organization's board, as president of the Economic Development Corporation of Oakland, chairman of the Oakland Council for Economic Development, and a board member of United Way of the Bay Area. A scholarship at the college is named for him.

Family Shetterly and his wife, Phyllis, had three sons, one of whom is the artist Robert Shetterly. and his granddaughter-in-law and Caitlin's mother is the author Margot Lee Shetterly.