Photo: DHSgov / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Frederick W. Smith is, to me, the rare figure who dragged an idea out of a college paper and into the fabric of daily life. The concept that seeded FedEx, the world's largest express network, traces back to his Yale years, but I think the steel came earlier, from his service as a Marine officer in Vietnam where he earned the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Silver Star. Leadership tested in the field, not just theorized in a classroom, is what let him build something that vast. Every time overnight delivery feels ordinary, I quietly credit the Mississippi-born Leo who made it so.
Overview
Frederick Wallace Smith (August 11, 1944 – June 21, 2025) was an American business magnate and investor. He was the founder and chairman of FedEx Corporation, the world's largest express transportation company. Smith stepped down as CEO in June 2022 and was succeeded by Raj Subramaniam.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Frederick W. Smith
- Name (Japanese)
- フレデリック・W・スミス
- Reading
- ふれでりっく・W・すみす
- Born
- August 11, 1944 (age 81)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Monkey
- Origin
- Marks, Mississippi, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- military officer / entrepreneur / businessperson / chief executive officer / manager
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Yale University
Awards & achievements
- Bronze Star Medal
- Purple Heart
- Silver Star
- 2007 National Aviation Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick%20W.%20Smith
Military officer — see all → · Entrepreneur — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.