Thomas V. Jones

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Thomas V. Jones (Thomas Victor Jones) was an American businessman who led the Northrop Corporation as its president, chief executive, and chairman.

Early life and education
- Born July 21, 1920, in Pomona, California.
- Earned magna cum laude in engineering from Stanford University.

Career highlights
- Douglas Aircraft Company (1942): Jones began his aerospace career.
- Brazilian Air Ministry (1947–1951): Helped create the Aeronautical Institute of Technology.
- RAND Corporation (1953): Published a study on transport planes for the U.S. Air Force.
- Northrop Corporation (1953 onward): Joined as assistant to the chief engineer, later becoming president (1959), chief executive officer (1960), and chairman of the board (1963).
- Time magazine cover (October 27, 1961): Featured on the magazine’s cover.

Awards and recognitions
- Reed Aeronautics Award (1985)
- Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy (1989)
- Inductee into the National Aviation Hall of Fame (1999)

Controversy and resignation
- May 1974: Pleaded guilty to making illegal corporate donations to the Committee to Re-elect the President, leading to resignation from Stanford University trusteeship and other positions.

Later career and retirement
- Retired as Northrop CEO in 1989 after the board reprimanded him for his role in a bribery scandal related to the F-20 Tigershark project to South Korea.

Personal life
- Married Ruth Jones; they had two children, Peter Thomas and Ruth Marilyn.
- The Moraga Estate in Bel Air (purchased in 1959) became Moraga Vineyards in 1978. Rupert Murdoch bought the estate in 2013 after Ruth and Thomas had used the vineyard for many years.

Death
- Died January 7, 2014, in Los Angeles, California, from pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 93.