John D Nichols

John Nichols, a gruff but empathetic corporate executive who ran Illinois Tool Works and later shaped up the Pritzker-owned Marmon Group for sale to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, died June 14 2023 at his Winnetka home, according to his family, who said he had been in declining health for years. He was 92. From 1980 to 1996, he led Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW). In 2002, he came out of retirement to take the helm of The Marmon Group, the Pritzker family organization of primarily industrial companies, with revenues totalling $6.4 billion in 2004. Before joining ITW, Nichols served as executive vice president and COO of Aerojet-General Corp., a subsidiary of General Tire and Rubber Co., and held several positions with International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. and Ford Motor Co.