Heinz: The Story of an American Family

<v Narrator>The family called this the little house where we began. <v Narrator>They were the children of immigrants who came to America with little more than strong <v Narrator>beliefs and a will to work. <v Narrator>One of them would found a family business that would make his name famous around the <v Narrator>world. And family efforts to repay their blessings would have a lasting <v Narrator>impact on their community. <v Narrator>The founder's son would build a memorial to capture the high ideals he had been taught. <v Narrator>The founder's grandson led the fight to rescue a threatened piece of history. <v Narrator>And in Washington, his great grandson championed the cause of those <v Narrator>least able to help themselves. <v Narrator>This is the story of an American family. Their philosophy began with a simple motto that <v Narrator>would set their course for 5 generations. <v Narrator>To do a common thing uncommonly well. <v Narrator>Here on the north shore of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the

<v Narrator>H.J. Heinz Company was founded over a century ago. <v Narrator>Today, it makes products found on every American table and in over 200 <v Narrator>countries around the world. <v Narrator>Pittsburgh, the home of Heinz. Pittsburgh was once called the gateway to the West. <v Narrator>In the 1840s, it was a fast growing town busy with industry and <v Narrator>full of promise for people willing to work hard. <v Narrator>Then on an April morning in 1845, a west wind drove <v Narrator>a small shanty fire into a raging inferno. <v Narrator>Pittsburgh was in ashes, but its people were determined <v Narrator>to rebuild. <v Narrator>For over 50 years, historian George Swetman has been writing about Pittsburgh. <v George Swetman>Pittsburghers have always been a little, a little cocky and have always <v George Swetman>felt that, think they can do things better than anybody else and

<v George Swetman>often have done it. They never thought about failure, <v George Swetman>even when failure came along. They never really accepted <v George Swetman>it. They they were gonna go ahead and plow their way <v George Swetman>out of it. And they ususally did. <v Narrator>German immigrants and brick maker <v Narrator>John Henry Heinz and his wife, Anna Schmidt, come to Pittsburgh <v Narrator>and settle in the town of Sharpsburg on the Allegheny River. <v Narrator>The rich clay soil was perfect for his brickyard. <v Narrator>And for her kitchen garden. <v Narrator>Together, they built their little house on Main Street. <v Narrator>Their oldest child, Henry John Heinz, begins to sell vegetables from the family <v Narrator>garden when he's 8. <v Narrator>By the time he's 20, he graduates from a basket to a horse and wagon. <v Narrator>His specialty is grated horseradish. <v Narrator>Biographer Robert Alberts describes the secret of H.J.'s success.

<v Robert Alberts>Other people's horseradish had the wooden splinters in it and so he <v Robert Alberts>put his horse radish in a transparent glass. <v Robert Alberts>The only one who did it, he would hold it up and everybody could see that there was <v Robert Alberts>nothing there but horseradish. <v Narrator>His mother's life and principles inspire him to do a common thing <v Narrator>uncommonly well. <v Narrator>He follows her teaching. <v Narrator>Do all the good you can. <v Narrator>Do not live for yourself. <v Narrator>Hard work shapes his life. <v Narrator>Even in his Sunday best, his battered knuckles show the effects of working in the fields. <v Narrator>In 1869 he starts up a business with his friend, Clarence ?inaudible?. <v Narrator>They will sell pickles and relish. <v Narrator>In that same year, Sarah Sloan Young, the daughter of immigrants from Country Down <v Narrator>Ireland, becomes his bride. <v Narrator>The civil war is over.

<v Narrator>For the people of Pittsburgh and the nation, life is good until wild <v Narrator>inflation leads to the bank panic of 1875. <v Narrator>H.J. Finds his fledgling company in danger. <v Narrator>He writes in his diary, mills and factories stopped. <v Narrator>Money tight, hard times. <v Narrator>Heinz has already contracted to buy the entire crop of cucumbers. <v Narrator>It's a great year for cucumbers, but a terrible year for pickles. <v Narrator>He tries desperately to save the business. <v Narrator>His wife, Sarah, gives him all her savings. <v Narrator>His father and mother even mortgaged their home. <v Narrator>But in the end, he loses everything. <v Narrator>He's forced into bankruptcy. <v Narrator>H.J. refuses to give up and vows to repay each and every one <v Narrator>of his debts. He keeps what he calls a book of moral obligations. <v Narrator>For 3 years, he works to keep his promise, and 1 by 1 he

<v Narrator>repays his debts. <v Narrator>Finally, he is back in business. <v Narrator>In Pittsburgh, the iron and steel industry is booming. <v Narrator>But people are suffering. <v Narrator>Hours are long and wages low. <v Narrator>Angry disputes between workers and employers lead to strikes and bloody <v Narrator>violence. <v Narrator>When H.J. is at last able to build his new factory, he resolves that conditions <v Narrator>will be different. <v Narrator>It is his firm belief that his company will profit from giving workers <v Narrator>kindly care and fair treatment, that heart power <v Narrator>is stronger than horse power. <v Narrator>To create the right atmosphere, he displays his family mottos throughout his <v Narrator>factory. <v Narrator>Every week, food handlers receive a manicure. <v Narrator>There are rooftop gardens and regular noontime concerts.

<v Unnamed woman 1>Heinz was like a family. I mean, everyone seemed to know each other. <v Unnamed woman 2>I had a lot of friends there. And I took care of the salad dressing <v Unnamed woman 2>and horseradish. <v Unnamed man 1>I worked exactly 44 years for the company. <v Unnamed man 2>If we were doing a job, we'd tell one another do a common job uncommonly <v Unnamed man 2>well. <v Narrator>In 1886, H.J. takes Sarah and his young family abroad. <v Narrator>In London, he can't resist the opportunity to take some of his wares to the Great Food <v Narrator>Emporium. Fortnum and Mason Limited. <v Narrator>The chief buyer tastes his samples and says Mr. Heinz we'll take them all. <v Narrator>After his first sale in England, Heinz products came so well known there that many <v Narrator>think Heinz is a British company. <v Narrator>Back home in Pittsburgh's fashionable Eastend, he builds Greenlawn.

<v Narrator>His neighbors are named Melen, Westinghouse and Frick. <v Narrator>Greenlawn is his home and also his personal museum of treasures brought back <v Narrator>from around the world. <v Narrator>No matter how successful he becomes, H.J. <v Narrator>never forgets the little house in Sharpsburg. <v Narrator>He decides to move it 5 miles down the Allegheny River to the site of his factory. <v Narrator>It will serve as a constant reminder of his beginnings. <v Narrator>He calls it the little house where we began. <v Narrator>Today at Heinz USA stands a statue of H.J. <v Narrator>built with employee contributions as a token of their love and esteem. <v Narrator>Heinz unofficial archivist Ed Lehew, <v Narrator>recalls the birth of an important hind's idea. <v Ed Lehew>Well, one day Mr. Heinz was on a train going from Pittsburgh to New York and he happened

<v Ed Lehew>to see out the window a sign that said 21 varieties of shoes. <v Ed Lehew>He kept in his mind going over the figure over and over again. <v Ed Lehew>He was going, 21, 22, 23 when he got to the words 57, <v Ed Lehew>it just sounded right. And he telegrammed the office back in Pittsburgh and said, <v Ed Lehew>I have a new slogan for us is going to be 57 varieties. <v Ed Lehew>And they said, Mr. Heinz, we have over 100 varieties now. <v Ed Lehew>He said. I don't care. Bring them down to 57 somehow put them together, so they become <v Ed Lehew>57. <v Narrator>Soon Heinz 57 is everywhere. On hillsides, trading cards, billboards. <v Narrator>Everywhere you look, there is Heinz. <v Narrator>In 1893, a million lucky visitors to the World's Fair in Chicago received <v Narrator>the very first Heinz pickle pins. <v Narrator>In New York, he erects the country's first large scale electric sign, it advertises <v Narrator>his very own pier in Atlantic City. <v Narrator>On any summer day, 15,000 people might sample the 57

<v Narrator>varieties. <v Narrator>Business is booming. <v Narrator>H.J. makes sure his sons learn the value of work firsthand. <v Narrator>For a company portrait, he insists they wear their overalls. <v Narrator>When he tests markets and new ketchup, he used his son's Howard's name. <v Narrator>And in 1894, Howard begins what will become a family tradition when he spends <v Narrator>his summer at the pickle works. <v Narrator>Howard has grown to have a strong civic conscience. <v Narrator>In his senior year at Shadyside Academy, he addresses his fellow students on the subject <v Narrator>of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh spirit. <v Narrator>If everyone works together, he says, Pittsburgh can and should become <v Narrator>1 of the great cities of the world. Howard graduates <v Narrator>from Shadyside Academy, and he's off to Yale. <v Narrator>Meanwhile, at the fashionable finishing school of Ogants near Philadelphia, a young woman <v Narrator>named Elizabeth Granger Rust from Saginaw, Michigan, is president

<v Narrator>of her class. <v Narrator>It's 1900. Start of a new century. <v Narrator>Howard Covode Heinz graduates from Yale. <v Narrator>After a trip abroad with his father, he returns to Pittsburgh to begin work at the <v Narrator>company. <v Narrator>He starts in the pickle sorting department, and on his first half day, he earns <v Narrator>12 cents. <v Narrator>Howard devotes his spare time to the neighborhood around the factory. <v Narrator>He enlists his father's support to build a community center for children. <v Narrator>Today on its original site stands Sarah Heinz House named <v Narrator>in honor of Howard's mother. <v Narrator>Sarah Heinz House is still open every day after school for boys and girls aged 7 <v Narrator>to 18. Members promise to come at least twice a week for clubs and recreation. <v Narrator>From its earliest days, it has relied on the devotion of members and volunteers.

<v Unnamed volunteer>Put your hands up. All right. <v Unnamed volunteer>One here and one there, real slow. <v Unnamed volunteer>My father, who is 95, came here as a child <v Unnamed volunteer>and we lived on Spring Hill and I came down for a few years. <v Unnamed volunteer>Then when I got married, my 4 children, 3 girls and a son came down <v Unnamed volunteer>and they all come down and volunteer also. <v Unnamed volunteer>And I have 3 grandchildren. <v Unnamed adult>If you weren't allowed to come to Heinz House, you did something wrong at home, you were <v Unnamed adult>grounded. That was, that was a tougher punishment than getting a paddling <v Unnamed adult>or whatever. The common denominator, no matter what school or church you went to, <v Unnamed adult>everybody went to Heinz House. <v Narrator>Sarah Heinz's house was built to last. <v Narrator>Today, children find the same virtues Howard Heinz enshrined here <v Narrator>almost a century ago. <v Narrator>In the early days of Sarah Heinz's house, automobiles are the rage.

<v Narrator>Howard loves his new auto and everyday drives back and forth to work with his father. <v Narrator>At the Weekend Skating Party, he meets the young lady from Saginaw, Betty Rust, <v Narrator>who is visiting friends in Pittsburgh. <v Narrator>In 1906, they marry and make their home in Pittsburgh. <v Narrator>Times are good for the Heinz company. <v Narrator>But on the national scene, the food business is in trouble. <v Narrator>Historian Robert Alberts. <v Robert Alberts>The canning industry, as it was known, then preserved food had a bad reputation. <v Robert Alberts>Heinz figured out on the basis of logic that you shouldn't have a guarantee <v Robert Alberts>that your product is, is good and not poisonous. <v Robert Alberts>Not 1 of his competitors agreed. <v Narrator>So he went to Washington to plead his case for quality standards. <v Robert Alberts>He risked his career pleading for a government

<v Robert Alberts>intervention in the canning industry, and Theodore Roosevelt was opposed <v Robert Alberts>to that. And Dr. Wiley was the <v Robert Alberts>government official who wanted to get this and 1 day, the story is, the true story, <v Robert Alberts>he took a bottle of whiskey and showed it to Roosevelt <v Robert Alberts>and he showed him the sediment in it and the chemicals in it. <v Robert Alberts>Roosevelt said that if a man can't buy a good glass of whiskey, something <v Robert Alberts>has to be done. <v Narrator>With President Roosevelt's support, the Pure Food and Drug Act becomes law. <v Narrator>H.J.'s most heartfelt cause continues to be the world's Sunday School Association, <v Narrator>an international movement devoted to the welfare of children and world peace. <v Narrator>In 1908, a very special child is born. <v Narrator>Grandson and namesake, Henry John Heinz II. <v Narrator>He quickly becomes the center of attention.

<v Narrator>He writes, dear grandfather, my hens laid 11 eggs in 2 days. <v Narrator>I am out of doors all day now. <v Narrator>Signed your loving little Jack. <v Narrator>And in a few years, his brother Rust is born. <v Narrator>These are happy days for the Heinz family. <v Narrator>Their grandfather is passing the reins of the company to Howard. <v Narrator>And young Jack is being introduced to the family firm. <v Narrator>Just a few years later, this peaceful world is shattered when America enters the war <v Narrator>to end all wars. <v Narrator>H.J. mobilizes the company. <v Narrator>Everyone joins the war bond drive. <v Narrator>The country is called on to make personal sacrifices. <v Narrator>Howard is asked to lead the food conservation effort in the state by federal food <v Narrator>administrator Herbert Hoover.

<v Narrator>For the next 2 years, the war takes precedence over all else. <v Narrator>Howard is a compelling speaker. <v Narrator>He rallies Pennsylvanians to conserve meat and grain for their sons and brothers <v Narrator>overseas. <v Narrator>Finally, the war is won, and Howard insists that news of the armistice be read to Jack <v Narrator>and Rust so that they would remember. <v Narrator>Europe is in ruins, and once again, Hoover calls on Howard. <v Narrator>In Constantinople, he supervises the recovery. <v Narrator>In 1919, while administering the relief effort in the Balkans, Howard <v Narrator>learns the awful news of his father's death. <v Narrator>The company must celebrate its 50th anniversary without its founder. <v Radio announcer on historical recording>Yes, transportation is getting to be a big thing, Jim.

<v Narrator>The 20s, the beginning of a new era. <v Narrator>Jack and Rust are growing up. <v James Laughlin>The Heinz's lived on Morwood Heights and the <v James Laughlin>Laughlins lived on Woodland Road, so it was pretty easy for boys to get <v James Laughlin>back and forth. <v Narrator>From his home in Connecticut, writer and publisher James Laughlin remembers his childhood <v Narrator>in Pittsburgh with the hind's boys. <v James Laughlin>Jack and Rust were really quite different. <v James Laughlin>Jack was conventional. <v James Laughlin>He was a what I suppose you would call a regular guy. <v James Laughlin>I always had the impression that Jack thought that life was quite a serious <v James Laughlin>business, whereas Rust was an artist. <v James Laughlin>He was through and through an artist. <v James Laughlin>Rust, I think, took took more after his mother, who was a kind of a <v James Laughlin>relaxed lady, somewhat reclusive, whereas <v James Laughlin>Howard was very much the public man.

<v James Laughlin>And that was Jack's model. <v Narrator>Howard knows the meaning of work. <v Narrator>He teaches it to Jack, who follows in his footsteps by working summers in the pickle <v Narrator>works. And Jack follows his father to Yale. <v Narrator>It's around then that a young woman named Joan Diehl is growing up in Pittsburgh. <v James Laughlin>She was raised in that world where there were correct things to do. <v James Laughlin>But she wasn't totally in it because she- this was the astounding <v James Laughlin>thing, you know, upset people of Pittsburgh. <v James Laughlin>Jones learned to fly an airplane. <v James Laughlin>She had an airplane. <v Narrator>And Joan flies a single engine airplane to Jack's senior prom <v Narrator>in New Haven. <v Joan Diehl>And Jack had just been given for graduation a beautiful yellow <v Joan Diehl>Packard Roadster. <v Joan Diehl>He gathered his friends and went out to meet me at the airport. <v Joan Diehl>And I couldn't get that plane down.

<v Joan Diehl>I made about 3 attempts. <v Joan Diehl>Finally, I decided, well, I've got to put it down. <v Joan Diehl>Anyhow, so I put it down and it rode right into the new <v Joan Diehl>yellow Packard Roadster. <v Joan Diehl>The propeller going very slowly. <v Narrator>After Yale and graduate school at Cambridge, Jack becomes a salesman for Heinz <v Narrator>Great Britain. He works incognito, known only as Mr Henry. <v Narrator>He also pursues his interest in buildings and architecture. <v Narrator>On his travels, he makes drawings to record his observations. <v Narrator>Back in America, it's important to Jack that he be present for the groundbreaking of the <v Narrator>building that would become a symbol of the family's generosity to Pittsburgh. <v Narrator>In 1934, they lay the cornerstone, and 4 years later, <v Narrator>Heinz Memorial Chapel is dedicated. <v Narrator>Patterned after a French Gothic cathedral, the chapel is designed to <v Narrator>be a place for meditation and silent prayer.

<v Narrator>During the '30s, Brother Rust is pursuing his artistic career. <v Narrator>His goal is to design the car of the future. <v Narrator>He would call it the Corsair. <v Narrator>Meanwhile, the Heinz company board of directors has a new member, Jack Heinz. <v Narrator>When he isn't working, Jack makes time for what will become a lifelong love, taking <v Narrator>pictures. <v Narrator>Photographer Clyde Herr met Jack while creating a photo essay on the company. <v Narrator>He soon discovered they had something in common.

<v Clyde Herr>He was just a darn good photographer, a good enough photographer. <v Clyde Herr>Several times I advised him to make sure that these collections were kept together <v Clyde Herr>just as a photographic collection. <v Clyde Herr>There were just a collection of darn fine photographs. <v Clyde Herr>He was a person who insisted on quality in everything that he <v Clyde Herr>touched and everything he did. <v Narrator>Joan Diehl is a favorite subject. <v Narrator>In 1936, she becomes Jack's wife. <v Narrator>And with Joan, Jack comes to love flying. <v Narrator>They traveled to Mexico on their honeymoon. <v Narrator>Of course, Jack brings his camera. <v Narrator>1938. <v Narrator>Henry John Heinz III is born. <v Narrator>Jack and Joan are living at Rosemont Farm in the Pittsburgh suburb of Fox Chapel.

<v Narrator>For his parents and grandparents, baby Johnny is the star of the family <v Narrator>home movies. <v Narrator>In 1939, when Johnny is 1 year old, the New York World's Fair <v Narrator>celebrates the world of tomorrow. <v Narrator>Everyone is looking to the future, including Heinz. <v Narrator>For the exhibition, Rust designs a special company car he calls the Comet. <v Narrator>Just a few months later, at age 25, he was killed <v Narrator>in an automobile accident. <v Narrator>Two years later, at age 63, Howard Heinz

<v Narrator>is dead. <v Narrator>The year is 1941. <v Narrator>On the home front, the factories convert to war production. <v Narrator>Pittsburgh is center stage. <v Karl Lang>Steel was essential to the war effort and food was essential <v Karl Lang>to the war effort. So the Heinz company was geared up. <v Narrator>In the spring of 1942, Karl Lang got a surprising phone call from his boss <v Narrator>at Heinz. <v Karl Lang>He said, Karl, I want you to attend a meeting tomorrow morning <v Karl Lang>at 9:00 over in the administration building. <v Karl Lang>And he said you're no longer in quality control.

<v Karl Lang>And I said, Mr. Riley, what did I do wrong? <v Karl Lang>He said, oh, nothing. He says, you're going to make airplanes. <v Karl Lang>And I said, airplanes? <v Karl Lang>I said, I know nothing about airplanes. <v Karl Lang>He said, You will. I'll see you tomorrow at 9:00. <v Narrator>At the company, there are new slogans, beans to bombers and pickles to pursuit <v Narrator>planes. The new product is glider wings for the motorless planes <v Narrator>that would be part of the invasion of Europe. <v Narrator>In Heinz style the wings are made of quality spruce. <v Narrator>After the war, the wood is salvaged by the French as construction material <v Narrator>and made into furniture. <v Narrator>In Pittsburgh, wartime production had taken a heavy toll. <v Narrator>Pittsburgh is now a smoky city. <v Narrator>But some are determined to turn things around. <v Narrator>To rid the city of the smoke from the dirt at the heart of that courageous community <v Narrator>effort is a small group of people, 1 of whom is Jack Heinz.

<v Narrator>Their hard work and cooperation will turn the smoky city into the Renaissance <v Narrator>city. <v Narrator>It is also a time of change for the Heinz family, Jack and Joan divorce <v Narrator>and Johnny goes to live with his mother in San Francisco. <v Henry James Heinz III>I spent my summers with my dad, and they were very happy summers. <v Henry James Heinz III>I had a chance to see my father, who I had always been a just <v Henry James Heinz III>spectacular person, figure in my life, <v Henry James Heinz III>but probably my mother has been a <v Henry James Heinz III>deeper influence. I lived with my mother most, in most of my growing up rather than my <v Henry James Heinz III>father. They were divorced when I was very young. <v Henry James Heinz III>I was only a year or 2 old. When you're an only child, I do <v Henry James Heinz III>think that- well, I wouldn't call it loneliness. <v Henry James Heinz III>There are some compensations and some disadvantage. <v Henry James Heinz III>Compensation is that that you are the beneficiary of a great deal of love. <v Henry James Heinz III>My stepfather was a very interesting person to me.

<v Henry James Heinz III>I love him very much. <v Henry James Heinz III>He was a career naval aviator. He was stationed at any number of places around the United <v Henry James Heinz III>States. I was always in the position of having of being the new kid in school, which <v Henry James Heinz III>is not always the easiest position. <v Henry James Heinz III>I remember there are times when I was just scared to death. <v Henry James Heinz III>I think I probably learned something from that, which is to get along with a lot of <v Henry James Heinz III>people I'd never met before. <v Henry James Heinz III>To, to learn about people who were literally <v Henry James Heinz III>from all over the country. <v Narrator>In 1952, John starts prep school at Exeter in New Hampshire. <v Narrator>Classmate Ted Stebbins remembers. <v Ted Stebbins>John from the beginning was different <v Ted Stebbins>from other people, friendlier, more open to <v Ted Stebbins>every kind of person and different experiences. <v Ted Stebbins>The rest of us were snobs, basically. <v Ted Stebbins>He never was. <v Narrator>Tim Wirth was also at Exeter with John and would later serve with him in Congress. <v Tim Wirth>We were both in school together and played on the same basketball team

<v Tim Wirth>and I was there on scholarship and John Heinz was there obviously as, as <v Tim Wirth>you know, Paul, a full paying customer. <v Tim Wirth>That was a lot of difference. But I mean, he was just couldn't have been nicer right from <v Tim Wirth>the beginning. <v Ted Stebbins>When I knew him first, he was a kid from San Francisco. <v Ted Stebbins>He was not a kid from Pittsburgh. <v Ted Stebbins>And he was upper middle class kid, not a rich kid. <v Ted Stebbins>He never had the trappings or the attitude of a rich kid. <v Ted Stebbins>He didn't think of himself somehow as H.J. <v Ted Stebbins>Heinz III. <v Narrator>Meanwhile, 9000 miles from Exeter, Maria Teresa <v Narrator>Simões-Ferreira, daughter of a doctor, has been growing up in Mozambique, Portuguese <v Narrator>East Africa. She earns honors and recognition for her academic <v Narrator>achievement. <v Narrator>Back in America, it's a baby boom world of suburbs and supermarkets, <v Narrator>and with the expanding marketplace comes a brand new way to reach consumers.

<v Lylah Jones>Hello there. Have you noticed something different about Heinz ketchup these days? <v Narrator>In the 50s, Heinz home economist Lylah Jones finds herself <v Narrator>on television. <v Lylah Jones>Here's another time timesaver. The quick way to get Heinz ketchup to pour, watch. <v Commercial announcer>Just tap the neck of the bottle 3 times, and here comes red magic made from Heinz <v Commercial announcer>Aristocrat Tomatoes. <v Lylah Jones>I think he was very interested in having the company be progressive <v Lylah Jones>and be on TV. <v Lylah Jones>Television was a good way of marketing food products and he was interested in <v Lylah Jones>having that done. <v Henry James Heinz II>We made 24 good, honest soups, not 1 of them will stint you. <v Henry James Heinz II>After all, they carry <v Henry James Heinz II>my grandfather's good name. That's my name too, Henry J. <v Henry James Heinz II>Heinz. <v Narrator>In New York, Jack meets a fascinating woman from England active in theater and <v Narrator>publishing. And in 1953, Drew Maher becomes Drew Heinz.

<v James Laughlin>I think it was quite a wonderful relationship because Drew is very <v James Laughlin>sophisticated and very bright and she helped Jack to <v James Laughlin>get into that world of British society, which had become <v James Laughlin>sort of an objective to him as it came as a <v James Laughlin>reaction to the hard business life that he had led earlier. <v James Laughlin>And Drew knew everybody. I mean, she knew the duke, <v James Laughlin>the duke of Clutterbuck. And the earl of get lost, and she knew all these people and she, <v James Laughlin>she was amusing and she attracted them. <v James Laughlin>She gave beautiful parties and I think it was very good for him. <v Narrator>Like his dad, young John works the summer at the company pickle works. <v Narrator>He writes in his report that the best way to make a man productive is to <v Narrator>make him happy.

<v Narrator>In 1956, John graduates from Exeter and continues the family tradition <v Narrator>as he enters Yale. He majors in history, arts and letters. <v Narrator>John graduates in 1960. <v Narrator>Before enrolling in Harvard Business School, he spends a year exploring. <v Narrator>He buys a small plane and flies it throughout Africa, the Middle East and Europe. <v Narrator>He returns to Geneva more than once. <v Narrator>In the early 60s, Geneva is a center for people from all over the world. <v Narrator>And Teresa Simões-Ferreira has come there for graduate school. <v Teresa Heinz>And then I asked him where he came from, he said he came from Pittsburgh <v Teresa Heinz>and his father made soup. <v Teresa Heinz>So I thought his father was- I thought, I didn't know if his father was a chef. <v Teresa Heinz>I didn't think I didn't know- In Africa, we didn't eat Heinz soups. <v Teresa Heinz>If he'd said my father makes piccalillies, I would have known.

<v Teresa Heinz>But he said my father made soup. <v Teresa Heinz>I had to get over that image of my father. <v Teresa Heinz>Going like this making soup for a while. When I met my husband, it was literally almost <v Teresa Heinz>like I'd met a brother, felt very comfortable. <v Teresa Heinz>I guess that's how our relationship was. <v Teresa Heinz>It was just very natural. <v Narrator>After Harvard, John earns his sergeant's stripes in the Air Force Reserve. <v Narrator>In 1964, he goes to work for Pennsylvania Senator Hugh Scott and gets his <v Narrator>first taste of politics. <v Narrator>John gets a letter from his father, who writes as chief executive of the company, <v Narrator>cautioning him if he comes to work for the company, there'll be no special treatment <v Narrator>because of his name. <v Narrator>But John does go to work for the company. <v Narrator>And his world changes as he throws himself into the realm of baked beans, macaroni, <v Narrator>and a new product called Happy Soup. <v Teresa Heinz>He felt he owed it to go back and do something.

<v Teresa Heinz>You know, to the company that had benefited him so much. <v Teresa Heinz>Learned how it worked and figured it out and see where he <v Teresa Heinz>wanted to go. He also was uncertain what he wanted to do. <v Ted Stebbins>It wasn't a very happy time for John because he was frustrated. <v Ted Stebbins>He didn't know if it was the most junior employee or 1 of the owners of the <v Ted Stebbins>company because he was both. <v Narrator>In February 1966, at Heinz Chapel, John and Teresa <v Narrator>are married. They settled in Pittsburgh at Rosemont Farm. <v Narrator>They named their first son, Henry John Heinz IV. <v Narrator>The '60s are years of hope and despair. <v Narrator>Martin Luther King is assassinated. <v Narrator>Riots lead some to predict the death of American cities. <v Narrator>At Pittsburgh's Urban League, John worked with Ron Davenport on inner city jobs <v Narrator>and education programs.

<v Ron Davenport>John was very idealistic and very, very committed guy. <v Ron Davenport>He thought about people, he thought about people's problems and and thought really how <v Ron Davenport>the world could be made, made a better place. <v Ron Davenport>John was raised by his parents, too, both his mother and his father, to <v Ron Davenport>believe and to feel that he had a special responsibility to <v Ron Davenport>give back because of the benefits that he had received. <v Narrator>Faced with his dilemma at the company and the rewards of his expanding <v Narrator>civic and political activity, John makes a decision. <v Narrator>With Pittsburgh's renaissance, there are plans to build a new cultural center. <v Narrator>John's father is deeply involved. <v Narrator>But a grand design for a new symphony hall is abandoned because projected costs <v Narrator>leave no money to endow the orchestra. <v Narrator>Jack refuses to give up. <v Narrator>Architect Al Filoni remembers his optimism.

<v Al Filoni>Mr. Heinz had tremendous faith in downtown <v Al Filoni>Pittsburgh. And so the idea came about, I believe, from Mr. <v Al Filoni>Heinz that why not look at a movie palace <v Al Filoni>like the Loew Penn Hall and see if it could be converted into a symphony <v Al Filoni>home. <v Narrator>In the late 60s, what had been a grand theater is closed to be <v Narrator>demolished. <v Narrator>The empty theater inspires Jack Heinz. <v Narrator>From his family's foundation he donates the funds to make a new home for the Pittsburgh <v Narrator>Symphony and to accomplish one of the most remarkable architectural transformations <v Narrator>in America. <v Narrator>On opening night in 1971, a national television audience <v Narrator>watches as the people of Pittsburgh and thousands from across the nation celebrate <v Narrator>Heinz Hall for the performing arts and paid tribute to Jack Heinz.

<v Henry James Heinz II>I am proud to have been a member of that band of dreamers, <v Henry James Heinz II>and I am humbled when I look around with you at this remarkable <v Henry James Heinz II>achievement and see what men do with an inspired dream. <v Narrator>While John's father is building a symphony hall. <v Narrator>John is building a base in politics. <v Narrator>In 1971, the sudden death of a local congressman triggers a special election. <v Narrator>John jumps into the race and seeks help for his fledgling campaign. <v Narrator>Republican leader Elsie Hillman remembers. <v Elsie Hillman>Henry and I were in Hong Kong and <v Elsie Hillman>the phone rang at four o'clock in the morning. <v Elsie Hillman>And it was John Heinz calling to say that Bob Corbett had died <v Elsie Hillman>and that the Republican Committee in Allegheny County had <v Elsie Hillman>to name a successor before the end of that next week.

<v Ron Davenport>We had to organize a campaign to keep the Republican committee members from the <v Ron Davenport>18th Congressional District to, to vote for John over the objections <v Ron Davenport>of the leadership. <v Elsie Hillman>You can tell, I mean, people who start in the political <v Elsie Hillman>arena and John had that drive that <v Elsie Hillman>made me feel as though he was going to go as far as he could go. <v Elsie Hillman>And he did. <v Henry James Heinz III>Sir may I say hi? John Heinz, hope you can help me to be your congressman this year. <v Elsie Hillman>With a name like Heinz, you don't have to worry <v Elsie Hillman>about your identity. <v Elsie Hillman>People remember you. Heinz was a household word. <v TV Interviewer>Is there any possible way, it's the old question, of guaranteeing a faster <v TV Interviewer>run of ketchup out of the bottle? <v Henry James Heinz III>I would not like to guarantee the faster run of ketchup out of the bottle and the flow on <v Henry James Heinz III>the- if it does not win the race, maybe it does some good. <v Ted Stebbins>John, from the beginning was a very good campaigner. <v Ted Stebbins>I went with him to a campaign at the Heinz Company on the factory line.

<v Ted Stebbins>It was 6 or 6:30 in the morning and the men were walking in with their <v Ted Stebbins>black pails, their lunch pails, and John was just <v Ted Stebbins>feeling terrific and feeling confident and <v Ted Stebbins>happy and not and not in the slightest bit shy. <v Narrator>John is less at home in his first television commercial. <v Henry James Heinz III>No one has all the answers, but I want a chance to help in <v Henry James Heinz III>the United States Congress. <v Narrator>Support for the campaign grows, attracting many volunteers. <v Narrator>Unbeknownst to John, those volunteers include his mother and stepfather, who <v Narrator>fly to Pittsburgh from San Francisco to help. <v Joan Diehl>Handing out fliers like mad, it was a dreary, dark <v Joan Diehl>Pittsburgh evening, and suddenly we were lucky a car came <v Joan Diehl>by with John Heinz standing up <v Joan Diehl>in it. He'd stop at a corner, jump out, shake hands.

<v Joan Diehl>He got to my car and the car stopped. <v Joan Diehl>He jumped out. He shook a couple of hands and then he, <v Joan Diehl>I offered him my hand and he took it and all of us said, my God, <v Joan Diehl>Mother. <v Henry James Heinz III>On election night, 1971, John Heinz becomes the new congressman <v Henry James Heinz III>from Pennsylvania's 18th District. <v Henry James Heinz III>From that first campaign there revolves a circle of lifelong friends John lovingly calls <v Henry James Heinz III>the pickle mafia. <v Ted Stebbins>John had an extraordinary capacity for friendship. <v Ted Stebbins>His friends grew together because of our attachment <v Ted Stebbins>to him. We came to love each other as friends. <v Ted Stebbins>He was the center of a lot of people's worlds <v Ted Stebbins>and he was at the center of a lot of families. <v Narrator>John Teresa's own family is growing. <v Narrator>Andre arrives in 1969.

<v Narrator>And Christopher, in 1973. <v Narrator>Although he is a Republican, John wins reelection twice because of increasingly <v Narrator>heavy support from Democrats and Labor. <v Narrator>Labor organizer Marianne Conofa remembers. <v Marianna Conofa>John Heinz I thought was very fair person you know, he favored the working <v Marianna Conofa>people. And we had his assurance that he would work for us. <v Marianna Conofa>We says, well, we'll take a chance on him, you know? <v Marianna Conofa>But once I think John appeared at different meetings and different union <v Marianna Conofa>halls and different labor functions I think people got to <v Marianna Conofa>know him and realize that, hey, this man is really a sincere <v Marianna Conofa>person. He is not 1 of the- just another politician. <v Narrator>John's increasing popularity prompts talk of statewide office. <v Narrator>Talk becomes a reality in 1976, when Senator Hugh Scott retired. <v Narrator>John Heinz wins a tough primary over Arlen Specter and goes on to meet Philadelphia

<v Narrator>Congressman Bill Greene in the general election. <v Non dialog speech>[Campaign chatter] <v Narrator>Heinz's personal spending on the campaign becomes the leading issue. <v Bill Greene>I don't think the United States Senate seat should be purchased by anyone in this <v Bill Greene>country. <v Henry James Heinz III>He's a Democrat in a state where there are 700,000 more Democrats than Republicans. <v Henry James Heinz III>Also, his party controls the governorship. <v Henry James Heinz III>That's 90,000 state employees patronage employees that'll be working for him <v Henry James Heinz III>on Election Day. <v Narrator>Charge and countercharge are left to the judgement of the voter. <v Narrator>Polls show a tight race. <v Narrator>The huge Democratic margins in Philadelphia worry John's father. <v Narrator>On election eve, Jack calls his friend and colleague, Tom McIntosh. <v Tom McIntosh>I said if he can hold his own in Philadelphia, in the east, when he gets west <v Tom McIntosh>of the Allegheny Mountains, when he gets out here, he's going to

<v Tom McIntosh>really go. And I said, in fact, you'll get so many votes, they'll weight them, they <v Tom McIntosh>won't count them. And that's exactly what took <v Tom McIntosh>place. John Heinz was the first Republican who carried <v Tom McIntosh>every ward of the city of Pittsburgh. <v Narrator>Congressman Heinz had become Senator Heinz. <v Narrator>John moves to the other side of Capitol Hill. <v Narrator>Howard Baker was Senate Republican leader. <v Howard Baker>On the Senate floor to begin with, he was firm and he was outspoken, <v Howard Baker>he certainly was not hesitant to speak his piece. <v Howard Baker>He obviously never heard the old adage that freshman senators are seen but <v Howard Baker>not heard for the first year or so. <v Howard Baker>He was less reticent than most senators to speak his piece at length, at <v Howard Baker>odd, at inconvenient hours and to discomode his bretheren in the Senate.

<v Howard Baker>But he was not resented for that. <v Narrator>Heinz's tough questioning makes him a feared interrogator. <v Narrator>In this hearing, he challenges the Reagan administration on Medicare reform. <v Henry James Heinz III>Is it or is it not true that you signed a memo dated May 5th, 1983, <v Henry James Heinz III>that advocated a mandatory second opinion? <v Hearing participant>I do not recall the memo. <v Henry James Heinz III>Would you like to see a copy of the memorandum with your signature on it? <v Henry James Heinz III>Can you answer one last question for me? <v Hearing participant 2>I'm not having much luck so far, but I will try, sir. <v Henry James Heinz III>You're sure not. Maybe we should give you a second chance. <v Hearing participant 2>If I got a choice, I'd like to forego that, sir. <v Hearing participant 2>Once is fine enough. <v Henry James Heinz III>And if I'd given some of your answers, I would have to. <v Narrator>Wyoming's Alan Simpson is Senate Republican whip. <v Alan Simpson>When he'd get that look, it was not a look of smugness, <v Alan Simpson>not a look of arrogance. It was a look of I know this issue and

<v Alan Simpson>I've been waiting a long time and I'm going to win this issue. <v Alan Simpson>And I will win. <v Narrator>The senator earns a reputation as a fierce fighter for Pennsylvania and for people who <v Narrator>need help, the same kind of tax breaks. <v Narrator>John's good friend, Fred Rogers, knew his special ability. <v Fred Rogers>It really takes somebody of the stature of John Heinz <v Fred Rogers>to help others feel that together we really can <v Fred Rogers>make a difference. And I think that's what he did with those town meetings. <v Henry James Heinz III>The reason I hold these town meetings is to try and make sure <v Henry James Heinz III>that my priorities as a federal legislator, as a United <v Henry James Heinz III>States senator are your priorities. <v Narrator>During his years in the Senate, John Heinz holds over 1500 town and community <v Narrator>meetings. <v Narrator>Teresa Heinz also plunges into issues. <v Narrator>She chairs a national council to improve the quality of television for families,

<v Narrator>serves on the boards of several schools and universities. <v Narrator>And receives many awards for her work in human rights. <v Narrator>In 1979, John Heinz is elected to his party's leadership as Senate <v Narrator>campaign chairman. <v Henry James Heinz III>These candidates need and they deserve your <v Henry James Heinz III>help. <v Howard Baker>I'm absolutely convinced that we would not have had a majority of Republican <v Howard Baker>senators in the Senate and I would not have been majority leader had it not been for John <v Howard Baker>Heinz. And I've credited him privately and publicly with <v Howard Baker>more than anyone else other than Ronald Reagan with producing our first Republican <v Howard Baker>majority in the Senate since 1954. <v Narrator>A political moderate, John Heinz, discovers the GOP moving sharply to the right <v Narrator>under Ronald Reagan. <v Narrator>He was defeated when he attempts to move up in the party leadership and speculation <v Narrator>diminishes about a future Heinz bid for the White House. <v Narrator>But with Republicans in the majority, Himes becomes Senate chairman on aging

<v Narrator>and a leading champion for older Americans. <v Henry James Heinz III>Maybe I'm a little sensitive about this because in my home state of Pennsylvania, we have <v Henry James Heinz III>the second highest proportion of senior citizens next to Florida. <v Henry James Heinz III>In Pennsylvania, we are facing today the problems that the rest <v Henry James Heinz III>of the country will face tomorrow. <v Narrator>He is an aggressive chairman, leading fights to crack down on nursing home abuse <v Narrator>and Medicare fraud and to protect Social Security benefits. <v Narrator>Arlene Schneider is director of a model senior community center in Pittsburgh <v Narrator>and a national leader on senior issues. <v Arlene Schneider>Senator Heinz did risky kinds of things in the field of aging, for which all of us who <v Arlene Schneider>work on behalf of older adults will forever be grateful. <v Arlene Schneider>John Heinz recognized the crux of long term care was finding <v Arlene Schneider>affordable community solutions in order to provide quality alternatives <v Arlene Schneider>and dignity for the lives of older adults.

<v Narrator>While John is working on behalf of older Americans, Jack is busy in the arts, opening Heinz gallery <v Narrator>at Carnegie Museum and extending Heinz Hall with a public courtyard. <v Narrator>In his final years, Jack continues to pursue his expansive vision of the company, <v Narrator>together with new chief executive officer Tony O'Reilly. <v Tony O'Reilly>So 1 of the things that we've set out to do over the past 15 years has been to try <v Tony O'Reilly>and bring the word hind's and the image and name and concept of quality <v Tony O'Reilly>and purity of Heinz to a much wider audience. <v Tony O'Reilly>And perhaps our most significant success in that area was the opening <v Tony O'Reilly>of our Chinese factory in 1986. <v Tony O'Reilly>Jack was very excited by that trip to China. <v Tony O'Reilly>He was quite ill at the time, but he was an absolute soldier on that trip and enjoyed <v Tony O'Reilly>it immensely. <v Tony O'Reilly>Of course, to the Chinese, the notion of a Mr. Heinz appearing to open the Heinz <v Tony O'Reilly>nutritional baby factory, as it's called, was tremendously

<v Tony O'Reilly>appropriate because they greatly appreciate the notion of lineage and of age there. <v Narrator>No matter how far Jack Heinz travels, Pittsburgh is always home <v Narrator>and he's always involved in making it a better city. <v Narrator>His final project is yet another renovation to enlarge the downtown cultural <v Narrator>district. <v Narrator>Sadly, he dies before the grand opening of the Benidom theater. <v Narrator>But his son comes from Washington to pay him tribute. <v Henry James Heinz III>Ladies and gentlemen, this structure has been here <v Henry James Heinz III>for some 60 years. <v Henry James Heinz III>And yet, as you see, it's new tonight. <v Henry James Heinz III>Many people who are responsible for this festive evening are those whose imaginations <v Henry James Heinz III>extend far beyond these walls. <v Henry James Heinz III>My father and his band of dreamers have unleashed <v Henry James Heinz III>a great idea, and all we need is the inspiration <v Henry James Heinz III>to understand it and the courage to see it through.

<v Narrator>As 1 Heinz generation passes, a new one rises. <v Narrator>John graduates from Boston College and on weekends counsels troubled young <v Narrator>people. 1 summer, he works at the family's charitable foundation. <v Narrator>He also earns 5 black belts in martial arts. <v Narrator>Andre attends Georgetown University, where he rows on a championship crew. <v Narrator>He also works at the Family Foundation and spends the summer as a Senate page. <v Narrator>Christopher also serves as a Senate page and goes on to Yale. <v Narrator>He becomes the 1 Heinz able to beat his dad on the ski slope. <v Narrator>In Pennsylvania, foreign imports drive the steel industry to its knees. <v Narrator>In the Senate, John Heinz emerges as the leader who advocates a tough trade

<v Narrator>policy. <v Henry James Heinz III>I would only comment that it comes as no surprise to find that the chief's supporters of <v Henry James Heinz III>the administration's trade policies are foreign governments. <v Henry James Heinz III>They, after all, are the ones who gain the most from from those policies and <v Henry James Heinz III>have the most to lose if we pass a strong, responsible trade bill. <v Narrator>In western Pennsylvania's Monongahela Valley, steel is the lifeblood. <v Narrator>Here, jobless workers refused to give up. <v Narrator>Barney Owsler remembers the day when John Heinz brought a Senate hearing and hope <v Narrator>to the Mon Valley. <v Barney Owsler>About 400 workers came on a Saturday for a hearing <v Barney Owsler>on the need for extension of unemployment benefits. <v Barney Owsler>And it was a raucous crowd. It was screaming and yelling. <v Barney Owsler>It was hooting and chanting. <v Barney Owsler>People were pissed. And we just wanted D.C. <v Barney Owsler>to hear loudly from Westsmith in Pennsylvania that there was a lot of anger <v Barney Owsler>as well as fear. <v Henry James Heinz III>You know, the purpose of unemployment compensation benefits is to keep

<v Henry James Heinz III>people out of poverty. <v Henry James Heinz III>It is an insurance program. <v Henry James Heinz III>It is called unemployment insurance. <v Barney Owsler>Genuinely seemed to understand from the get go that people want to be employed, <v Barney Owsler>that people want to be able to support their family, and that they pride themselves on <v Barney Owsler>taking care of their own needs, taking care of their families' needs, and not having to <v Barney Owsler>rely upon the government. <v Pennsylvania organizer>That bill meant money for people's pockets to survive. <v Pennsylvania organizer>And for many thousands of people around here, it literally meant <v Pennsylvania organizer>food on the table or heat in the home during that time. <v Ted Stebbins>I constantly felt he must be terribly busy, because I know he worked very hard <v Ted Stebbins>as a senator, but somehow he managed to do more in 24 hours <v Ted Stebbins>than anyone else I've ever known. <v Ted Stebbins>His capacity for doing all the work and having fun, being with his family, <v Ted Stebbins>keeping in touch with his friends.

<v Ted Stebbins>It was unbelievable. He lived a completely full life <v Ted Stebbins>every moment. <v Narrator>John Heinz experienced the world fully. <v Narrator>He traveled everywhere and learned firsthand of the beauty and fragility <v Narrator>of the natural world. <v Narrator>Sparked by Teresa's work in the environment, John and his friend Tim Wirth <v Narrator>led the first Senate trip to investigate the tragic destruction of the Amazon <v Narrator>rainforest. <v Narrator>John recognized how the torching of rainforests threatened the world environment. <v Narrator>In the United States, Senators Heinz and Wirth had developed an innovative incentive <v Narrator>program that would have an immediate impact on environmental policy. <v Tim Wirth>We broke the logjam on the Clean Air Act by saying, why shouldn't we be able <v Tim Wirth>to give somebody who pollutes less a reward and somebody who pollutes more a punishment? <v Tim Wirth>But do that in terms of a market, not in terms of a regulator, is a

<v Tim Wirth>very important concept. And now I think it's become probably as important a tool as <v Tim Wirth>we have today in dealing with national and global environmental issues. <v Narrator>On Earth Day, 1990, John helped define the environmental message <v Narrator>of the '90s. The bad news of Earth Day <v Narrator>1990 is that much of the environmental news <v Narrator>since Earth Day 1970 has been sad news. <v Narrator>The good news of Earth Day 1990 is that each <v Narrator>of us can do something about it. <v Narrator>Like his father, like his grandfather and great grandfather, John Heinz <v Narrator>believed he could make a difference in the spring of 1991. <v Narrator>He was flying to hold a hearing on Medicare fraud when his plane crashed. <v Teresa Heinz>The lesson from him for anybody, for his children, for me, for anyone, is

<v Teresa Heinz>that you give back. <v Teresa Heinz>It's easy to give money back. <v Teresa Heinz>It's much harder to give your time, your thought, your care, <v Teresa Heinz>your gut. That's much harder. <v Fred Rogers>I think that the greatest thing that anybody can do is to inspire <v Fred Rogers>others to be and to do the best that they are and can do. <v Fred Rogers>And if we any of us feel any kind of inspiration to excel <v Fred Rogers>because of having walked along this road with <v Fred Rogers>John Heinz, I imagine that would please him very much. <v Fred Rogers>I would hope that Johnny and Andre and Christopher <v Fred Rogers>would be able to find their own identities because they've already <v Fred Rogers>got the good stuff of the Heinz family in them. <v Narrator>The tradition endures.

<v Narrator>Today, Tereza directs the family's charitable foundations, oversees innovative <v Narrator>projects in education and healthcare, and has become even more involved <v Narrator>in environmental work around the world. <v Narrator>At Georgetown University, a graduation marks yet another beginning. <v Narrator>A new generation charts its course. <v Narrator>For this family, the way has already been well-marked.