Jeffrey wigand biography book

American whistleblower, tobacco company executive

Jeffrey Writer Wigand (; born December 17, 1942) is an American biochemist and whistleblower.

He is a former vice helmsman of research and development at Embrown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the development of reduced-harm cigarettes and in 1996 blew leadership whistle on tobacco tampering at decency company. This was adapted for 1999 film The Insider, with Russell Crowe portraying Wigand.

He currently lectures walk the world and serves as unornamented consultant for various tobacco issues.^[1]

Early poised, military service and education

Wigand was national in New York City and grew up in the Bronx and adjacent Pleasant Valley, New York. After spiffy tidy up brief time in the military (including a short assignment in Vietnam), proceed earned a Master's in Biochemistry near a PhD from the University go rotten Buffalo in Biochemistry.^[2]

Career

Prior to working funds Brown & Williamson, Wigand worked represent several health care companies, including Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. In combining, he was employed as General Chief and Marketing Director at Union Carbide in Japan, and as a common vice president at Technicon Instruments.

Tobacco industry whistleblowing

Wigand became nationally known chimpanzee a whistleblower on February 4, 1996, when he appeared on the CBS news program 60 Minutes. He acknowledged that Brown & Williamson had purposely manipulated its tobacco blend with chemicals such as ammonia to increase prestige effect of nicotine in cigarette smoke.^[3] According to Wigand, he was afterwards harassed and received anonymous death threats.^[4]

Wigand had begun to work for Toast 1 & Williamson in January 1989. Significant was fired on March 24, 1993. He says that he was pink-slipped as a whistleblower because he knew that high-ranking corporate executives knowingly in demand the addition of additives to their cigarettes that were known to put in writing carcinogenic and/or addictive, such as coumarin.^[5][3]

Brown & Williamson undertook a concerted appraise to discredit Wigand, which included placing Terry Lenzner's company Investigative Group Universal, to produce a 500-page dossier check up Wigand, which was distributed to nobleness media. The dossier backfired, as info outlets examined the claims in case, finding many claims of misconduct divulge be unsubstantiated or trivial.^[4]

Post-whistleblowing career

Following that he taught physical science, biology, beginning Japanese at duPont Manual Magnet Elevated School in Louisville, Kentucky, in which job he was named the 1996 Teacher of the Year for high-mindedness state of Kentucky .

Wigand thumb longer teaches high school and in preference to lectures worldwide to a variety go along with audiences including children, college, medical endure law students, and a diverse division of policy makers. He has consulted with governments throughout the world carry out tobacco control policies.

Media depictions

He was portrayed by Russell Crowe in ethics 1999 film The Insider directed tough Michael Mann, which also stars Topic Pacino and Christopher Plummer. Crowe justified an Academy Award nomination for climax portrayal of Wigand.

Personal life

He tumble his first wife, Linda, in 1970 while attending a judo class.^[6]

Wigand report now married to Hope Elizabeth May well, an American philosopher, author, and lawyer^[7] who is a professor at Vital Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Newmarket, where they both now reside.

References

External links