Johns Manville Corporate History - Revision history

MesotheliomaSupport: Fix structural reference errors: remove orphaned refs (RON-2026-04-05-003)

2026-04-06T10:12:10Z

Fix structural reference errors: remove orphaned refs (RON-2026-04-05-003)

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:12, 6 April 2026
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	<ref name="jmhistory">Johns Manville Corporation, History and Heritage, https://jm.com/en/our-company/HistoryandHeritage/</ref>		<ref name="jmhistory">Johns Manville Corporation, History and Heritage, https://jm.com/en/our-company/HistoryandHeritage/</ref>
	<ref name="dandell">Danziger & De Llano, "Johns-Manville Asbestos Exposure and Corporate Knowledge Timeline," https://dandell.com/asbestos-exposure/</ref>		<ref name="dandell">Danziger & De Llano, "Johns-Manville Asbestos Exposure and Corporate Knowledge Timeline," https://dandell.com/asbestos-exposure/</ref>
	~~<ref name="encyclopedia">Encyclopedia.com, "International Directory of Company Histories: Johns-Manville Corporation"</ref>~~
	<ref name="mesonet">Mesothelioma.net, "Johns-Manville Asbestos Company Profile," https://mesothelioma.net/johns-manville/</ref>		<ref name="mesonet">Mesothelioma.net, "Johns-Manville Asbestos Company Profile," https://mesothelioma.net/johns-manville/</ref>
	<ref name="mesolaw">Mesothelioma Lawyer Center, "Johns-Manville Corporate History and Bankruptcy," https://mesotheliomalawyercenter.org/johns-manville/</ref>		<ref name="mesolaw">Mesothelioma Lawyer Center, "Johns-Manville Corporate History and Bankruptcy," https://mesotheliomalawyercenter.org/johns-manville/</ref>
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	<ref name="section524g">11 U.S.C. § 524(g) Bankruptcy Code; St. John's Law Review, "Section 524(g) Asbestos Trusts"</ref>		<ref name="section524g">11 U.S.C. § 524(g) Bankruptcy Code; St. John's Law Review, "Section 524(g) Asbestos Trusts"</ref>
	<ref name="trustfinancials">Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, Audited Financial Statements, Filed SDNY Bankruptcy Court, February 27, 2025 (Doc 4462)</ref>		<ref name="trustfinancials">Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, Audited Financial Statements, Filed SDNY Bankruptcy Court, February 27, 2025 (Doc 4462)</ref>
	~~<ref name="crmc">Claims Resolution Management Corporation, Trust FAQ, https://www.claimsres.com/</ref>~~
	~~<ref name="epa">EPA Superfund Records: Waukegan, Illinois; Johns-Manville Site</ref>~~
	~~<ref name="dylan">Duke Law Scholarship, "Resolving Asbestos Claims: The Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust"</ref>~~
	<ref name="djia">S&P Global, DJIA Historical Components; Dow Jones Industrial Average Archive</ref>		<ref name="djia">S&P Global, DJIA Historical Components; Dow Jones Industrial Average Archive</ref>
	<ref name="berkshire">Berkshire Hathaway Public Filings, Johns Manville Subsidiary Information</ref>		<ref name="berkshire">Berkshire Hathaway Public Filings, Johns Manville Subsidiary Information</ref>

MesotheliomaSupport: Add external link: Asbestos? - Specific Inspection Topics / Interior Inspections - InterNACHI®️ Forum (Nexus outreach pipeline)

2026-04-01T11:22:05Z

Add external link: Asbestos? - Specific Inspection Topics / Interior Inspections - InterNACHI®️ Forum (Nexus outreach pipeline)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:22, 1 April 2026
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	* [https://mesowatch.org/resources/stories/johns-manville-asbestos-cover-up-history/ The Johns-Manville Cover-Up: A Hidden Epidemic \| MesoWatch]		* [https://mesowatch.org/resources/stories/johns-manville-asbestos-cover-up-history/ The Johns-Manville Cover-Up: A Hidden Epidemic \| MesoWatch]
	* [https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD19720611-01.2.179 The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) June 11, 1972 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection]		* [https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD19720611-01.2.179 The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) June 11, 1972 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection]
			* [https://forum.nachi.org/t/asbestos/53779 Asbestos? - Specific Inspection Topics / Interior Inspections - InterNACHI®️ Forum]

MesotheliomaSupport: Add external link: The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) June 11, 1972 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (Nexus outreach pipeline)

2026-04-01T11:21:41Z

Add external link: The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) June 11, 1972 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (Nexus outreach pipeline)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:21, 1 April 2026
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	* [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/vVw1Nk24dG533MZL7D4DxpjwR manville_rogs_max - Toxic Docs]		* [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/vVw1Nk24dG533MZL7D4DxpjwR manville_rogs_max - Toxic Docs]
	* [https://mesowatch.org/resources/stories/johns-manville-asbestos-cover-up-history/ The Johns-Manville Cover-Up: A Hidden Epidemic \| MesoWatch]		* [https://mesowatch.org/resources/stories/johns-manville-asbestos-cover-up-history/ The Johns-Manville Cover-Up: A Hidden Epidemic \| MesoWatch]
			* [https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD19720611-01.2.179 The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) June 11, 1972 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection]

MesotheliomaSupport: Add external link: The Johns-Manville Cover-Up: A Hidden Epidemic | MesoWatch (Nexus outreach pipeline)

2026-04-01T11:21:33Z

Add external link: The Johns-Manville Cover-Up: A Hidden Epidemic | MesoWatch (Nexus outreach pipeline)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:21, 1 April 2026
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	* [https://burchfieldpenney.org/public/documents/Fortune_-_June_1931.pdf burchfieldpenney.org]		* [https://burchfieldpenney.org/public/documents/Fortune_-_June_1931.pdf burchfieldpenney.org]
	* [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/vVw1Nk24dG533MZL7D4DxpjwR manville_rogs_max - Toxic Docs]		* [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/vVw1Nk24dG533MZL7D4DxpjwR manville_rogs_max - Toxic Docs]
			* [https://mesowatch.org/resources/stories/johns-manville-asbestos-cover-up-history/ The Johns-Manville Cover-Up: A Hidden Epidemic \| MesoWatch]

MesotheliomaSupport: Add external link: manville_rogs_max - Toxic Docs (Nexus outreach pipeline)

2026-04-01T11:20:13Z

Add external link: manville_rogs_max - Toxic Docs (Nexus outreach pipeline)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:20, 1 April 2026
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	[[Category:Industrial History - United States]]		[[Category:Industrial History - United States]]
	* [https://burchfieldpenney.org/public/documents/Fortune_-_June_1931.pdf burchfieldpenney.org]		* [https://burchfieldpenney.org/public/documents/Fortune_-_June_1931.pdf burchfieldpenney.org]
			* [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/vVw1Nk24dG533MZL7D4DxpjwR manville_rogs_max - Toxic Docs]

MesotheliomaSupport: Add external link: burchfieldpenney.org (Nexus outreach pipeline)

2026-04-01T11:20:10Z

Add external link: burchfieldpenney.org (Nexus outreach pipeline)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:20, 1 April 2026
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	[[Category:Johns Manville Trust]]		[[Category:Johns Manville Trust]]
	[[Category:Industrial History - United States]]		[[Category:Industrial History - United States]]
			* [https://burchfieldpenney.org/public/documents/Fortune_-_June_1931.pdf burchfieldpenney.org]

MesotheliomaSupport: GEO audit: add At-a-Glance, Key Facts wikitable, FAQ, Quick Statistics, Related Pages, Get Help; remove CTA Box

2026-03-09T03:42:33Z

GEO audit: add At-a-Glance, Key Facts wikitable, FAQ, Quick Statistics, Related Pages, Get Help; remove CTA Box

Show changes

MesotheliomaSupport: Remove H1, add listicle

2026-02-24T06:41:00Z

Remove H1, add listicle

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:41, 24 February 2026
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	\|}		\|}

	= Johns-Manville Corporation~~: From~~ "~~Mineral~~ of a ~~Thousand Uses" to America~~'s ~~Largest Asbestos~~ Bankruptcy =		Johns-Manville Corporation evolved from a basement manufacturing operation in 1858 to become the world's largest asbestos products manufacturer, with approximately 1,300–1,400 products in its portfolio by 1931.<ref name="fortune1931" /> Founded by Henry Ward Johns in New York City and merged in 1901 with the Manville Covering Company of Milwaukee, the consolidated enterprise became a Dow Jones Industrial Average component for 52 years (1930–1982). Despite accumulating scientific evidence of asbestos hazards from 1918 onward, the company's leadership systematically suppressed occupational health information, altered published research findings, and coordinated with competitors to minimize public disclosure. The landmark Borel v. Fibreboard (1973) decision unleashed a litigation flood: from 159 claims in 1976 to 16,500 pending lawsuits by August 1982. The resulting bankruptcy reorganization created the Johns Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust in 1988—the model for all subsequent asbestos trusts under Section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code. The trust has distributed approximately $5.26 billion to over 1 million claimants. The operating company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2001 for $1.96 billion.

	~~== Executive Summary ==~~		'''Johns Manville corporate history at a glance:'''

	Johns~~-Manville Corporation evolved from~~ a basement ~~manufacturing operation in 1858 to become the world~~'s ~~largest asbestos products manufacturer, with approximately 1,300–1,400 products in its portfolio by 1931.~~<ref name="fortune1931" /> ~~Founded by~~ Henry Ward Johns in ~~New York City and merged in 1901 with the Manville Covering Company~~ of ~~Milwaukee, the consolidated enterprise became known as Johns-Manville Corporation in 1926 and went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1927. The company~~'s dominance ~~in asbestos products—including~~ roofing, insulation, brake linings, pipe, textiles, and acoustical materials—made it an essential supplier to American manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding, and transportation industries throughout the twentieth century. Added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on January 29, 1930, Johns-Manville ~~remained a blue-chip equity for fifty-two years until its removal on August 30~~, ~~1982, coinciding with its bankruptcy filing. Despite accumulating scientific evidence~~ of ~~asbestos hazards~~ from ~~1918 onward, the~~ company~~'s leadership systematically suppressed~~ occupational health ~~information, altered published research~~ findings~~, coordinated with competing manufacturers~~ to ~~minimize public disclosure, and continued producing asbestos products with inadequate warnings~~ until 1964~~. The landmark Borel v. Fibreboard (1973) decision establishing strict liability for asbestos manufacturers unleashed a litigation flood: from~~ 159 ~~claims~~ in 1976 to 16,500 ~~pending lawsuits~~ by August 1982~~. The company filed for~~ Chapter 11 bankruptcy ~~protection on~~ August 26, 1982~~, as the~~ largest U.S. company to ~~use Chapter 11~~ at ~~that~~ time. ~~The resulting bankruptcy reorganization created the Johns Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust~~ in ~~1988—the model for all subsequent asbestos trusts under Section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code. The Manville Personal Injury Settlement~~ Trust ~~has~~ distributed ~~approximately~~ $5.26 billion to over 1 million ~~claimants~~ since ~~its consummation in~~ November 1988. ~~The operating company emerged from bankruptcy as Manville Corporation (1988), was renamed Johns Manville in 1997, and was acquired by~~ Berkshire Hathaway in 2001 ~~for~~ $1.96 billion. ~~The trust and operating company remain separate legal entities,~~ with ~~all~~ asbestos ~~claims channeled to the trust via a permanent channeling injunction affirmed in courts through 2021.~~		* '''Founded 1858''' — Henry Ward Johns started manufacturing roofing shingles in a New York City tenement basement using his wife's clothes wringer<ref name="fortune1931" />
			* '''Founder's death''' — Henry Ward Johns died in 1898 of "dust phthisis pneumonitis" (asbestosis) at approximately age 40<ref name="fortune1931" />
			* '''Product dominance''' — approximately 1,300–1,400 products by 1931 across roofing, insulation, brake linings, pipe, textiles, and acoustical materials<ref name="fortune1931" />
			* '''Saranac Laboratory suppression (1936–1947)''' — Johns-Manville and nine competitors funded research, then ordered deletion of all cancer references from published reports<ref name="dandell" />
			* '''Lanza study alteration''' — company altered 1935 occupational health findings from "asbestosis can result fatally" to "milder than silicosis"<ref name="dandell" />
			* '''Warning labels delayed until 1964''' — inadequate "may be harmful" language placed 106 years after founding, despite internal knowledge dating to at least 1933<ref name="dandell" />
			* '''Claims explosion''' — 159 lawsuits in 1976 grew to 16,500 by August 1982; consultants projected 32,000+ additional cases over 20 years<ref name="mesolaw" />
			* '''Chapter 11 bankruptcy (August 26, 1982)''' — largest U.S. company to file at the time, with $1.2 billion in equity and 25,000 employees<ref name="dandell" />
			* '''Trust distributed $5.26 billion''' — over 1 million claims liquidated since November 1988; 5.1% current payment percentage<ref name="trustfinancials" />
			* '''Berkshire Hathaway acquisition (2001)''' — $1.96 billion purchase; Johns Manville now generates $4.5+ billion in annual sales with zero asbestos products<ref name="berkshire" />

	== Key Facts ==		== Key Facts ==

MesotheliomaSupport: Added 1939 World's Fair pavilion subsection with Hildreth Meière detail

2026-02-21T05:51:22Z

Added 1939 World's Fair pavilion subsection with Hildreth Meière detail

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:51, 21 February 2026
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	{\| class="infobox" style="width:280px; float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border:2px solid #1a5276; border-radius:8px; overflow:hidden;"		{\| class="infobox" style="width:280px; float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border:2px solid #1a5276; border-radius:8px; overflow:hidden;"
	\|-		\|-
	! colspan="2" style="background:#1a5276; color:white; padding:12px; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center;" \| [[Johns-Manville]] Corporation		! colspan="2" style="background:#1a5276; color:white; padding:12px; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center;" \| Johns-Manville Corporation
	\|-		\|-
	\| colspan="2" style="border:1px solid #1a5276; padding:10px; text-align:center; font-style:italic;" \| Asbestos Manufacturing & Industrial Products		\| colspan="2" style="border:1px solid #1a5276; padding:10px; text-align:center; font-style:italic;" \| Asbestos Manufacturing & Industrial Products
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	By securing ownership and long-term contracts for major asbestos mines in Quebec (including the Jeffrey Mine, the world's largest) and Arizona, Johns-Manville achieved vertical integration across the entire supply chain: raw fiber extraction, fiber processing, product manufacturing, and distribution. This control over supply ensured 50–75 years' worth of raw material availability and provided significant pricing power relative to competitors.		By securing ownership and long-term contracts for major asbestos mines in Quebec (including the Jeffrey Mine, the world's largest) and Arizona, Johns-Manville achieved vertical integration across the entire supply chain: raw fiber extraction, fiber processing, product manufacturing, and distribution. This control over supply ensured 50–75 years' worth of raw material availability and provided significant pricing power relative to competitors.

			=== The 1939 World's Fair: "Asbestos—The Magic Mineral" ===

			Johns-Manville's marketing apparatus reached its zenith at the 1939–40 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens. The company maintained a major pavilion in the fair's Production and Distribution Zone, designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon—best known as the architects of the Empire State Building. The entrance featured a monumental Art Deco metal relief by the prominent American sculptor Hildreth Meière (1892–1961), titled ''Asbestos—the Magic Mineral'', depicting a male figure in an asbestos suit emerging from flames. The relief was executed by the Rambusch decorating firm and is now nonextant, having been demolished with the fair buildings after the exposition closed.<ref name="worldsfair1939" /> The pavilion branded asbestos as a "service to humanity" that "Controls Heat, Cold, Sound, and Motion," promoting Johns-Manville's full product line including roofing, insulation, brake linings, and asbestos cement to the approximately 30 million visitors who attended the fair.<ref name="worldsfair1939" /> This massive public marketing campaign occurred despite the company's documented internal knowledge of asbestos health hazards, which by 1939 included the Simpson-Brown correspondence (1935), the altered Lanza study (1935), and the ongoing Saranac Laboratory research suppression.

	== What Did Johns-Manville Know About Asbestos Dangers? ==		== What Did Johns-Manville Know About Asbestos Dangers? ==
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	=== Selikoff's Epidemiological Evidence (1963–1964) ===		=== Selikoff's Epidemiological Evidence (1963–1964) ===

	In 1963, Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of Mount Sinai Medical Center reported to the American Medical Association landmark findings on the health effects of asbestos on insulation workers. Based on prospective cohort data, Selikoff estimated that approximately 100,000 American workers and their family members would die of asbestos-related diseases (primarily ~~[[Mesothelioma\|~~mesothelioma]], lung cancer, and asbestosis) during the twentieth century.<ref name="dandell" />		In 1963, Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of Mount Sinai Medical Center reported to the American Medical Association landmark findings on the health effects of asbestos on insulation workers. Based on prospective cohort data, Selikoff estimated that approximately 100,000 American workers and their family members would die of asbestos-related diseases (primarily mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis) during the twentieth century.<ref name="dandell" />

	This was not tentative epidemiological suggestion—it was definitive population-level evidence of an emerging public health crisis. Selikoff's work established the dose-response relationship between asbestos exposure duration and disease risk, provided latency data (10–50 years between exposure and disease manifestation), and documented that family members of workers (through take-home asbestos dust on clothing) were also at substantial risk.		This was not tentative epidemiological suggestion—it was definitive population-level evidence of an emerging public health crisis. Selikoff's work established the dose-response relationship between asbestos exposure duration and disease risk, provided latency data (10–50 years between exposure and disease manifestation), and documented that family members of workers (through take-home asbestos dust on clothing) were also at substantial risk.
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	<ref name="djia">S&P Global, DJIA Historical Components; Dow Jones Industrial Average Archive</ref>		<ref name="djia">S&P Global, DJIA Historical Components; Dow Jones Industrial Average Archive</ref>
	<ref name="berkshire">Berkshire Hathaway Public Filings, Johns Manville Subsidiary Information</ref>		<ref name="berkshire">Berkshire Hathaway Public Filings, Johns Manville Subsidiary Information</ref>
			<ref name="worldsfair1939">Brawer CC, Skolnik KM (2014) ''The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière.'' Andrea Monfried Editions, pp. 178–191. See also: [https://www.historyhit.com/inextinguishable-the-history-of-asbestos/ "Inextinguishable: The History of Asbestos" — History Hit]</ref>
	</references>		</references>

MesotheliomaSupport: Internal linking: added 2 wiki links

2026-02-20T21:02:41Z

Internal linking: added 2 wiki links

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:02, 20 February 2026
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	{\| class="infobox" style="width:280px; float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border:2px solid #1a5276; border-radius:8px; overflow:hidden;"		{\| class="infobox" style="width:280px; float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border:2px solid #1a5276; border-radius:8px; overflow:hidden;"
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	! colspan="2" style="background:#1a5276; color:white; padding:12px; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center;" \| Johns-Manville Corporation		! colspan="2" style="background:#1a5276; color:white; padding:12px; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center;" \| [[Johns-Manville]] Corporation
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	\| colspan="2" style="border:1px solid #1a5276; padding:10px; text-align:center; font-style:italic;" \| Asbestos Manufacturing & Industrial Products		\| colspan="2" style="border:1px solid #1a5276; padding:10px; text-align:center; font-style:italic;" \| Asbestos Manufacturing & Industrial Products
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	=== Selikoff's Epidemiological Evidence (1963–1964) ===		=== Selikoff's Epidemiological Evidence (1963–1964) ===

	In 1963, Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of Mount Sinai Medical Center reported to the American Medical Association landmark findings on the health effects of asbestos on insulation workers. Based on prospective cohort data, Selikoff estimated that approximately 100,000 American workers and their family members would die of asbestos-related diseases (primarily mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis) during the twentieth century.<ref name="dandell" />		In 1963, Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of Mount Sinai Medical Center reported to the American Medical Association landmark findings on the health effects of asbestos on insulation workers. Based on prospective cohort data, Selikoff estimated that approximately 100,000 American workers and their family members would die of asbestos-related diseases (primarily [[Mesothelioma\|mesothelioma]], lung cancer, and asbestosis) during the twentieth century.<ref name="dandell" />

	This was not tentative epidemiological suggestion—it was definitive population-level evidence of an emerging public health crisis. Selikoff's work established the dose-response relationship between asbestos exposure duration and disease risk, provided latency data (10–50 years between exposure and disease manifestation), and documented that family members of workers (through take-home asbestos dust on clothing) were also at substantial risk.		This was not tentative epidemiological suggestion—it was definitive population-level evidence of an emerging public health crisis. Selikoff's work established the dose-response relationship between asbestos exposure duration and disease risk, provided latency data (10–50 years between exposure and disease manifestation), and documented that family members of workers (through take-home asbestos dust on clothing) were also at substantial risk.