Earl E. Kohnhorst

Earl E. Kohnhorst was appointed CEO of Brown & Williamson effective April 1, 1993. He succeeded Thomas B. Sandefur Jr., who became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer on April 1, 1993.

= Biography =

Earl Eugene Kohnhorst was born in 1927 attended the Speed Scientific (Engineering) School at the University of Louisville, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. He was trained as a chemical engineer. He testified in a 2003 deposition (Scott v American Tobacco Co.) that he learned nothing specific about tobacco during his education. He went to work for Brown & Williamson right out of school. His last official day working for B&W was December 31st, 2000, when he retired.

He served as the Director of Research for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corpopration (BWT).(PMI's Introduction to Privilege Log and Glossary of Names, Estate of Burl Butler v. PMI, et al, April 19, 1996).

He held the following positions at Brown & Williamson on the following dates
 * Process Engineer, 1971-76
 * Manager/Development Center, 1976-79
 * Director/Manufacturing Planning, 1979-80
 * Director/Manufacturing Planning and Engineering, 1980-83
 * Vice-president of Research, Development and Engineering, 1983-1987 (and possibly beyond)

In 1994, Kohnhorst was Executive vice president and chief operating officer of Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. (Los Angeles Times 8/2/94) He was also vice president for research, development and engineering at BWT in 1985.(LAT 8/2/94)  In a 1/17/85 memo, BWT Corporate Counsel J. Kendrick Wells said he had advised Earl Kornhorst on the need to prune scientific reports from his files. Wells marked certain reports with an "X" to designate those that he considered "Deadwood" in the behavioral and biological studies areas. The Janus studies, a secret program of biological research on the effects of smoking which showed tumor growth in animals, were treated as "deadwood." Wells advised that these documents should be segregated, boxed and put in the basement for possible shipment to British American Tobacco Industries in England, but no one should make any notes, memos or lists of the documents (LAT 8/2/94). Kohnhorst wrote a letter dated April 26, 1985 about carbon monoxide that mentions development of the Fact cigarette prototype which was designed to deliver low carbon monoxide. It describes a process that utilizes shredded, dried tobacco stems which results in carbon monoxide reduction (E. Kohnhorst LT 4/26/85).

resource_id=1234 resource_code=kohnhorst_earl_e search_term=Earl E. Kohnhorst

Positions held
Earl E. Kornhorst worked for BWT in the Research Development & Engineering Department as Executive Vice President in 1993, CCC Development in 1972-73, Vice President for RD&E Department from 1983-87, Vice President of Planning. Executive Vice President, CCC in 1987 and 1989, and was also Process Engineer Manufacturing/Processing Division Head from 1971-79. (Source: B&W&#8217;s Initial Disclosure, State of Texas vs. ATC, et al., 6/5/96)


 * Korhnhorst, Earl (use Kohnhorst, Earl E.)