   john francis "jack" welch, jr. (born november 19, 1935) is a retired american business executive, author and chemical engineer. he was chairman and ceo of general electric between 1981 and 2001. during his tenure at ge, the company's value rose 4000%. in 2006, welch's net worth was estimated at $720 million. when he retired from ge he took a severance payment of $417 million, the largest such payment in history. ==early life and education== jack welch was born in peabody, massachusetts to john, a boston & maine railroad conductor, and grace, a homemaker. jack is irish american. his paternal and maternal grandparents were irish.jack: straight from the gut, (isbn 0-446-69068-6) throughout his early life in middle school and high school, jack found work in the summers as a golf caddy, newspaper delivery boy, shoe salesman, and drill press operator. welch attended salem high school, where he participated in baseball, football, and captained the hockey team. late in his senior year, welch was accepted to university of massachusetts, where he studied chemical engineering. welch worked in chemical engineering at sunoco and ppg industries during his college summers. in his sophomore year, he became a member of the phi sigma kappa fraternity.welch graduated i
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