Kenneth Frazier

Kenneth Carleton Frazier (born December 17, 1954) is an American business executive. He is executive chairman and former CEO of the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. (known as MSD outside of North America). After joining Merck & Co. as general counsel, he directed the company's defense against litigation over the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx. Frazier is the first African American man to lead a major pharmaceutical company (part of the Fortune 500 companies). He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2018. Frazier was included in Time's list of the most influential people in the world in 2018 and 2021. Early life and education Kenneth Frazier was born on December 17, 1954, in North Philadelphia. His father, Otis, was a janitor. Frazier has said Thurgood Marshall was one of his heroes growing up. Frazier's mother died when he was twelve years old. He attended Julia R. Masterman School and Northeast High School. After graduating at age 16, he entered Pennsylvania State University. To make extra money in college, he raised tadpoles and newts and sold them to local stores. After earning his B.A. from Penn State, Frazier enrolled at Harvard Law School and graduated in 1978 with a J.D.