Raymond H. Herzog, former chairman of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co., died on Saturday at his home in Pine Tree Hills, Minn. He was 81 and the cause of death was cancer, according to a statement from the company.
Mr. Herzog retired from 3M in 1980 after nearly 40 years of service. He was president of the company from 1970 until 1975, when he became chairman and chief executive. Mr. Herzog had also been a member of 3M’s board of directors from 1965 until 1985.
“Ray was a leader throughout his career and his contributions are still having a positive impact on the company,” said Lew Lehr, who succeeded Mr. Herzog as chairman.
Mr. Herzog, who was a high school science teacher and coach before joining 3M, continued to think of himself as a coach. “My job is stimulating others to do a little better than they can do themselves,” he once said. “It works in business just as well as it works in sports.”
Mr. Herzog was particularly known for helping to start its copier business. After that assignment, he became vice president of several divisions before becoming president.
A native of Merricourt, N.D., he was raised in Appleton, Wis., where he received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Lawrence University in 1938.
Mr. Herzog had at various times during his career served as a director of several corporations, including Northwest Airlines and the General Motors Corp., and he was a trustee of the Mayo Foundation.
He is survived by his wife, Jane; a daughter, Mollie Keys of Rochester; two sons, Richard Herzog of Los Altos Hills, Calif., and Ray Herzog Jr. of Lake Quivira, Kan.; seven grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.
Mr. Herzog once said as chairman of 3M that he had hobbies but that his work was all consuming. “You don’t ever escape the job in my kind of position,” he said at the time. “I never mow the lawn or do anything like that for relaxation. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
