Eaton's General Counsel to Retire; Successor Named
15 September 1999
Eaton's General Counsel to Retire; Successor Named
CLEVELAND--Sept. 15, 1999--Eaton Corporation today announced that Gerald L. Gherlein, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, will retire on February 29, 2000 and also that J. Robert Horst has been named Vice President and General Counsel, effective January 1, 2000. Horst will report to Eaton Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stephen R. Hardis following Gherlein's retirement and will be based at Eaton's world headquarters here."Gerry Gherlein has played a key role in changing Eaton to the growth-oriented company it is today," said Hardis. "His expertise has contributed significantly to the company's success, and his high standards of integrity have helped create Eaton's reputation as an ethical company. We were looking forward to having the benefit of his trusted counsel for a few more years, but Gerry has elected to retire after more than three decades with the company, 25 of them as General Counsel."
J. Robert Horst has been Deputy General Counsel since 1998. "Bob is well qualified to be Gerry's successor," said Hardis. "His hands-on approach to difficult legal problems has provided excellent support to our operating units. Bob is a good businessman as well as an outstanding lawyer. He brings a pragmatic perspective to bear on legal issues."
Horst has had worldwide responsibility for general legal matters regarding Eaton's product groups and for litigation and trade regulation matters. He joined Eaton as Corporate Attorney in 1974 and held positions of increasing responsibility in the Law Department prior to being named Deputy General Counsel. Horst holds B.A. and law degrees from Case Western Reserve University and a L.L.M. degree from Boston University.
Gherlein was elected Executive Vice President and General Counsel in 1991, responsible for Eaton's Law Department, Office of the Secretary, Communications Department, and Public and Community Affairs Department. Prior to that, he served as Vice President and General Counsel, General Counsel, and Assistant Secretary and Associate Counsel. Gherlein joined Eaton in 1966 as Corporate Attorney and established the company's European legal office shortly thereafter. He holds a business degree from Ohio State University and a J.D. from University of Michigan.
Eaton is a global manufacturer of highly engineered products that serve industrial, vehicle, construction, commercial, aerospace and semiconductor markets. Principal products include hydraulic products and fluid connectors, electrical power distribution and control equipment, truck drivetrain systems, engine components, ion implanters and a wide variety of controls. Headquartered in Cleveland, the company has 64,500 employees and 215 manufacturing sites in 25 countries around the world. Eaton's sales for 1998 were $6.6 billion. On April 9, 1999, Eaton acquired Aeroquip-Vickers, Inc., which had sales of $2.1 billion in 1998. The Internet address for Eaton is: http://www.eaton.com/