Virgil Boyd

Virgil Edward Boyd (July 8, 1912 – February 16, 2011) was an American automobile executive who was president of the Chrysler Corporation from 1966 to 1970 and vice chairman from 1970 to 1972.

Early life Boyd was born July 8, 1912, on a farm near Benton, Kansas and grew up outside of Blencoe, Iowa. Later that year he was named field sales manager for Hudson, Nash, and Rambler. In 1961, he succeeded Roy Abernethy as vice president in charge of automotive sales.

Chrysler In 1962, Lynn A. Townsend took over as president of Chrysler Corporation amid a conflict of interest scandal and lagging sales. Soon thereafter, he brought Boyd on as vice president and general sales manager. He was the company's number three officer behind chairman George H. Love and Townsend. Under Boyd's leadership, Chrysler more than doubled its sales, going from 719,933 vehicles sold in 1961 to 1,612,321 in 1965. Its market share grew from 10.8% to 15.7% during that same time. The number of Chrysler dealerships grew from 5,600 to 6,600 under Boyd. He retired from Chrysler on September 30, 1972.

Other work Outside of the automotive industry, Boyd was a trustee of Grace Hospital, chairman of the board of trustees of Alma College, and a director of Parke-Davis and the Budd Company.