Roger Milliken, known as much for his innovations in the textiles business as for his fierce defense of American industry and conservative principles, died Dec. 30, 2010. Milliken was the billionaire chairman of privately owned Milliken & Co. of Spartanburg, SC. He was 95 when he died of multiple illnesses, including leukemia.
Milliken took over what had been a family textile business called Deering. After his father’s death in 1947, he took over the company as CEO and remained in the post until 1983, when he turned over the role to a non-family outsider.
In South Carolina, he is remembered as a major philanthropist for his support of many small private colleges; even playing a key role in helping integrate Wofford College in the 1960s.
Milliken also was a significant force in conservative politics up until the 1990s. He played a pivotal role in building the Republican Party in South Carolina and in creating the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He was a forceful proponent of preserving a strong domestic manufacturing base, which he saw as the foundation of U.S. prosperity and independence.
While his company also wound up moving some operations overseas, he was the founder and key supporter of the original Crafted With Pride in the U.S.A. Council, which promoted American-made products.
