FedEx founder Fred Smith, a Marine Corps veteran who revolutionized package delivery, dies at 80

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Fred Smith, the FedEx Corp. founder who revolutionized the express delivery industry, has died, the company said. He was 80.

FedEx started operating in 1973, delivering small parcels and documents more quickly than the postal service. Over the next half-century, Smith, a Marine Corps veteran, oversaw the growth of a company that became something of an economic bellwether because so many other companies rely on it.

Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx became a global transportation and logistics company that averages 17 million shipments per business day. Smith stepped down as CEO in 2022 but remained executive chairman.

Smith, a 1966 graduate of Yale University, used a business theory he came up with in college to create a delivery system based on coordinated air cargo flights centered on a main hub, a "hub and spokes" system, as it became known.

The company also played a major role in the shift by American business and industry to a greater use of time-sensitive deliveries and less dependence on large inventories and warehouses.

Smith once told The Associated Press that he came up with the name Federal Express because he wanted the company to sound big and important when in fact it was a start-up operation with a future far from assured.

At the time, Smith was trying to land a major shipping contract with the Federal Reserve Bank that didn't work out.

In the beginning, Federal Express had 14 small aircraft operating out of the Memphis International Airport flying packages to 25 U.S. cities.

Smith's father, also named Frederick, built a small fortune in Memphis with a regional bus line and other business ventures. Following college, Smith joined the U.S. Marines and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He left the military as a captain in 1969 after two tours in Vietnam where he was decorated for bravery and wounds received in combat.

He told The Associated Press in a 2023 interview that everything he did running FedEx came from his experience in the Marines, not what he learned at Yale.

Getting Federal Express started was no easy task. Overnight shipments were new to American business and the company had to have a fleet of planes and a system of interconnecting air routes in place from the get-go.

Former President George W. Bush released a statement in which he praised Smith as “one of the finest Americans of our generation" and FedEx as an ”innovative company that helped supercharge our economy."

Smith was a minority owner of the Washington Commanders NFL team until 2021, when owner Daniel Snyder and his family bought out the shares held by Smith, Dwight Schar and Bob Rothman. His son Arthur was a head coach with the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons and is currently the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Though one of Memphis' best-known and most prominent citizens, Smith generally avoided the public spotlight, devoting his energies to work and family.

Despite his low profile, Smith made a cameo appearance in the 2000 movie “Castaway” starring Tom Hanks. The movie was about a FedEx employee stranded on an island.

“Memphis has lost its most important citizen, Fred Smith,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, citing Smith's support for everything from the University of Memphis to the city's zoo. “FedEx is the engine of our economy, and Fred Smith was its visionary founder. But more than that, he was a dedicated citizen who cared deeply about our city."

Smith rarely publicized the donations he and his family made, but he agreed to speak with AP in 2023 about a gift to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation to endow a new scholarship fund for the children of Navy service members pursuing studies in STEM.

“The thing that’s interested me are the institutions and the causes not the naming or the recognition,” Smith said at the time.

Asked what it means to contribute to the public good, he replied:

“America is the most generous country in the world. It’s amazing the charitable contributions that Americans make every year. Everything from the smallest things to these massive health care initiatives and the Gates Foundation and everything in between,” he said. “I think if you’ve done well in this country, it’s pretty churlish for you not to at least be willing to give a pretty good portion of that back to the public interest. And all this is in the great tradition of American philanthropy.”

FILE - FedEx founder and CEO Fred Smith asks a question of President Barack Obama during the president's meeting with leading CEOs to discuss ways to promote the economy and create jobs during his last two years in office, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, at the Business Roundtable Headquarters in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FedEx Corp. founder Fred Smith takes part in a discussion at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

FILE - FedEx CEO Fred Smith appears at a signing ceremony where President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that establishes a National Council for the American Worker in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 19, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FILE - Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President and CEO of FedEx Corporation is seen before the first half of an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist in his 700th career game, Mark Stone tied the Golden Knights' record with a goal in his seventh straight game, and Vegas defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Saturday night for its third straight win.

Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore, who had been out since Dec. 13 because of an upper-body injury, also scored goals for the Golden Knights. Akira Schmid stopped 17 shots.

Robert Thomas had a goal and assist for the Blues, and Jake Neighbours scored the other goal on a power play. Jordan Binnington finished with 21 saves as St. Louis lost its third straight.

Stone kept his scoring streak alive with an empty-net goal with 2:24 left to tie the club record set by Max Pacioretty in 2021.

Blues defenseman Philip Broberg, who earlier in the day signed to a six-year, $48 million contract extension, suffered an upper-body injury just 1:35 into the game and did not return. He was hurt after Stone's check near the boards.

All three Golden Knights victories during this current streak occurred after the opponent took the early lead. Winnipeg and Columbus each took 2-0 leads and St. Louis was up 1-0. The Golden Knights improved to 9-8-7 in when their opponent scores first.

After Thomas gave the Blues their early lead 53 seconds into the first period, Vegas tied it at 7:34 when Marner put in his own rebound. Goals by Eichel and Theodore in the second period put the Golden Knights ahead 3-1.

This is Marner's first season with the Golden Knights after he was acquired in a sign-and-trade with Toronto on July 1. Teammate Keegan Kolesar, who has been with the Golden Knights all seven of his seasons, appeared in his 400th game.

Blues: Host Carolina on Tuesday.

Golden Knights: At San Jose on Sunday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) skates with the puck against St. Louis Blues defenseman Cam Fowler (17) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)

St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg is helped off the ice after being checked by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith jumps past St. Louis Blues center Oskar Sundqvist (70) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)