Who is S. Robson Walton? Everything You Need to Know

S. Robson Walton is an alumni and trustee of The College of Wooster and got a bachelor science degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas in the year 1966. During his time at the University, Rob was a Lambda Chi Alpha frat member. In 1969, he earned a Columbia Law School Juris Doctor degree and joined the Tulsa law-firm, Conner & Winters, which represented Wal-mart. While at the firm, Rob helped in preparing the IPO for Walmart in October 1970. He worked at the firm till the year 1978, after which he took up a senior vice president position at Walmart.

Rob was the one who convinced his father to look at expanding the corporation into other countries during the mid-1980s. After he rose to the position of vice chairman in 1982, he worked towards improving sustainability and visibility of the vendors who provided their products for sale in Walmart stores, thus creating a transparency for the consumer to understand the origin of the products they purchase. Rob also urged the corporation to source more locally, especially food grains and vegetables, to ensure the buyer at Walmart gets a fresh produce and the company is able to facilitate better livelihoods for American farmers.

He succeeded his father as the Chairman of Walmart on the 7th of April 1992, two days after his father Sam Walton’s death and carried on serving at that position till his retirement in 2015. Under his leadership, Walmart started labelling certain products that passed rigorous tests with a ‘good great for you’ sticker in order educate their customers, and help them make an informed decision. The company also invested in a social school of retail that educated and trained young people to be a useful task force in the retail industry.

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Family & Personal Life

S. Robson Walton was born on 28 October 1944, in Tulsa Oklahoma, to Sam and Helen Walton. He is the eldest amongst four children and has a sister Alice and two brothers named Jim and John. His brother passed away in an airplane crash on the 27 June 2005.

Rob was married to Patricia Rawlings Walton until the late 1970s when the couple got divorced, after which, Rob married his second wife Carolyn Funk. Carolyn and Rob were married for more than 25 years, till the year 2000 when they got divorced.

Five years later, Rob married Melani Lowman Walton who was a trainer and basketball coach.

S. Robson Walton has three children from his first marriage; son Sam Walton, born in 1968, daughter Carrie Walton Penner born in the year 1970 and the youngest son Ben Walton, born in 1975. His son-in-law, Greg Penner, husband of Carrie Walton, is the current Chairman of the Walmart corporation.

Rob is a vintage sports cars enthusiast and his collection boasts of a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, a Ferrari 250 GTO, a 1958 Scarab MKI, a 1960 Maserati T60, a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, and a 1965 Shelby Cobra. Although he has been criticized for spending millions on buying these automobiles, this is one of Rob’s dearest passions.

S. Robson Walton Biography