Phil Stacker (Johnsonverse)
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Phillip James Stacker, Sr. (b. August 7, 1951) is an American businessman, author, philanthropist, and author. He was the 49th Lieutenant Governor of California from January 10, 2011 to January 7, 2019. Before taking this role, Stacker was President and CEO of Stacker and Associates from 1974 to 1991, 1993 to 2010, and has reassumed this position since 2019. He was also the CEO of Stacker's Bistro from 1977 to 1979, CEO of Johnson Industries (Johnsonverse) from 1981 to 1991, ran for President in 2000, and wrote his memoir UnSTACKed in 2002.
Having served
Early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Stacker's parents moved to St. Louis, Missouri when he was six due to his father, Kristian Stacker, getting a new job in St. Louis, Missouri. At the age of
Stacker and Associates
Stacker's Bistro
In 1977, Stacker inherited control of the Stacker's Bistro chain.
Johnson Industries
Buyout
On June 1, 1981, Stacker bought Johnson Industries in a shocking announcement (the company was later revealed to have been bought without permission from the Johnson family). The first thing Stacker did was kick out longtime CEO Sheldon Johnson and the entire Johnson family.
The Fall of Johnson Industries....
Stacker was clearly more interested in money than catering to the masses, and this showed during his tenure, which was declared "The Dark Times" by Stacker, his critics, and the Johnson Family. Johnson-owned WBC was renamed JTV (Johnson TV), as Stacker didn't want it confused with "the other WBC" (the Westboro Baptist Church). He even got rid of scripted programming from Johnson Radio, in a rather unpopular move.
In one radio interview in 1984, Stacker accidentally called his employees "drones", causing a major public relations debacle.
....Or Is It?
In 1987, during a progress meeting,
Mental Breakdown and Arrest
Things seemed to be improving, but on
Prison years
While in prison, Stacker was
Political career
Lieutenant Governor of California
Personal life
Stacker is a second-generation businessman, and the son of Kristian Giorgio Sacchetti (September 15, 1907-January 11, 1998) and Diana Noemi Goterelli (October 15, 1921-September 29, 2018), both of them Italians (they changed their surnames upon moving to Chicago during World War II). He has been married to Helga Stacker (née Wolf) since September 29, 1978. They have three children, Eliza Karissa (b. September 7, 1982), Phillip James Jr. and Christopher William (b. March 6, 1986). Stacker is also fluent in Italian and French.