F. Ross Johnson, 73
Even today, the $25 billion battle over RJR Nabisco in 1988 is remembered as one of the bloodiest and most cutthroat boardroom clashes in history. Johnson, the architect (and eventual loser) of the takeover battle, is now largely retired - though he does sit on a few corporate boards and runs a small investment firm with his son. He lives in Jupiter, Fla., with his wife, Susan, and two dachshunds, Chien Chaud ("hot dog" in French) and Saucisse. "I paid attention to shareholder value before it was fashionable," he says. "We didn't do things like the Enrons or Tycos of the world. Those guys ran some major red lights."
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