You’ve probably heard of the Colgate fortune. Maybe you’ve seen the name Dina Merrill on a black-and-white movie poster or a credits roll. But behind those massive cultural markers was a man who basically operated as the glue for a specific era of American power. Stanley M. Rumbough Jr. wasn't just some "heir" who sat on a yacht and cashed dividend checks. Honestly, that's the biggest misconception people have about him.
He was a fighter pilot. A political strategist. A guy who started forty different companies. He lived to be 97, and honestly, the sheer volume of stuff he packed into those ten decades is kinda dizzying.
The Marine Who Didn't Need to Fight (But Did Anyway)
Born in Manhattan in 1920, Stanley M. Rumbough Jr. had every excuse to stay home when World War II broke out. His great-grandfather was William Colgate—yeah, the toothpaste guy. He was Yale-educated and deeply entrenched in the New York social register. Instead of riding out the war in a comfortable office, he joined the Marine Corps.
He didn't just join; he became a fighter pilot in the Pacific.
We’re talking 50 combat missions. That’s not a "support role." He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and eight Air Medals. When people talk about the "Greatest Generation," they’re talking about guys like Rumbough who had everything to lose and went anyway.
Why Stanley M. Rumbough Jr. Matters to Modern Politics
If you’ve ever wondered why modern political campaigns feel like massive, grassroots machines, you can actually trace a lot of that back to Rumbough. In 1951, he co-founded the Citizens for Eisenhower movement.
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Back then, the "Old Guard" of the Republican party was pretty stiff. They weren't sure about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Rumbough and his buddy Charles Willis decided to bypass the party bosses. They built a grassroots network that eventually had over 700 volunteers in the New York headquarters alone.
It worked.
Eisenhower won, and Rumbough ended up in the White House as a Special Assistant. He helped create the Executive Branch Liaison Office. This wasn't just paper-pushing; he was basically the guy making sure the President’s message was actually getting through to the rest of the government. He even had to deal with the fallout of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s antics, which, as you can imagine, was a total mess to manage.
The Marriage to Dina Merrill and the "Fortune" Problem
In 1946, Stanley married Nedenia Hutton, better known as the actress Dina Merrill. This was a "merger" of two of the biggest fortunes in America. She was the daughter of E.F. Hutton and Marjorie Merriweather Post (of the Post cereal fortune).
People loved to gossip about them. They were the "Golden Couple" of the 1950s. They even gave two of their kids middle names that matched their family legacies: Nedenia Colgate Rumbough and David Post Rumbough.
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But wealth doesn't protect you from reality.
Their son, David, was diagnosed with diabetes early on. This turned Stanley and Dina into massive advocates for research. Later, in 1973, David died in a tragic boating accident at just 23 years old. It’s the kind of thing that breaks most families. Stanley and Dina eventually divorced in 1966, but they remained weirdly linked in the public eye until they both passed away in 2017—just months apart.
The Business Engine: 40 Companies and Counting
Rumbough was a serial entrepreneur before that was even a buzzword. He didn't just stay in the family soap business. He was the CEO or a director for more than 40 companies.
- He led Metal Containers Corp.
- He was involved in companies making pari-mutuel betting machines.
- He was a founding member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
He had this weird ability to jump between industries. One day he’s dealing with United Nations committees, the next he’s looking at manufacturing plants in the West Indies or Mexico. He was a "doer" in an era where most people of his status were "havers."
What People Get Wrong
The biggest mistake is thinking he was just a "socialite."
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Socialites go to parties and get their photos taken. Rumbough was a life trustee of the International House in NYC and a huge player in Planned Parenthood for decades. He was a "hands-on" philanthropist. Even in his 80s and 90s, he was active in the Palm Beach Civic Association, pushing for better town planning.
He stayed sharp. He stayed involved. He didn't just fade away into a Florida retirement.
Actionable Insights from a 97-Year Life
Looking at the trajectory of Stanley M. Rumbough Jr., there are a few things we can actually apply to how we handle business and life today:
- Don't rely on your "pedigree." Rumbough had the Colgate name, but his Distinguished Flying Crosses were earned in a cockpit, not a boardroom. Real respect comes from what you do when things get dangerous or difficult.
- Grassroots beats the "Old Guard." If you're trying to change a big organization, don't just talk to the bosses at the top. Build a "Citizens for Eisenhower" style movement from the bottom up.
- Diversify your interests. Don't just be a "tech guy" or a "finance guy." Rumbough’s involvement in 40+ companies and various non-profits made him more resilient and more connected than someone who stayed in one lane.
- Philanthropy is work. If you care about a cause (like Rumbough did with diabetes research or civic life), don't just write a check. Join the board. Help organize. Use your skills to actually move the needle.
Stanley M. Rumbough Jr. died in September 2017. He left behind a legacy that is honestly pretty rare: a mix of military valor, political innovation, and genuine business grit. He’s a reminder that even if you're born with a silver spoon, you still have to go out and forge your own steel.
To learn more about the era he helped build, you can research the Eisenhower Presidential Library archives, which house many of his personal papers and White House memorandums. Studying his early "Fact Papers" is a masterclass in clear executive communication that still holds up today.