Lay, Kenneth

▪ 2007

      American businessman (b. April 15, 1942, Tyrone, Mo.—d. July 5, 2006, Aspen, Colo.), rose from humble beginnings to become chairman and chief executive of Enron Corp.—at one time the seventh largest corporation in the U.S.—but saw his career and his company implode in one of the biggest corporate scandals in U.S. history. Lay earned a Ph.D. in economics and served (1972–74) as undersecretary of energy in the Department of the Interior before beginning his phenomenal rise to success as an oil industry executive. He helped create Enron in 1985 and transformed it from a relatively small pipeline business into a giant energy trader worth $68 billion by 2000, but at the end of 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy following revelations of massive accounting fraud at the company. Some 4,000 employees lost their jobs and pensions. In May 2006 Lay was convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges. At the time of his death from heart disease, he was free on $5 million bail and awaiting sentencing in October. He was facing up to 45 years in prison and potential fines of more than $40 million.

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