Marriott, J(ohn) Willard

(born , Sept. 17, 1900, Marriott, Utah, U.S.—died Aug. 13, 1985, Wolfeboro, N.H.) U.S. businessman who founded one of the largest U.S. hotel and restaurant organizations. The son of a Mormon rancher, he opened a rootbeer and barbecue stand in Washington, D.C., in 1927. By the end of World War II his chain of Hot Shoppe family restaurants extended over the entire East Coast, and in 1957 he opened his first hotel. His son J. Willard Marriott, Jr., succeeded him as president of the Marriott Corp. in 1964. At the time of the elder Marriott's death, the Marriott Corp. had 140,000 employees in 26 countries and total annual sales of $3.5 billion. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988.

Find more information on Marriott, J(ohn) Willard. Upgrade to Britannica Online for more on Marriott, J(ohn) Willard.