Frederick W. Smith, the man behind FedEx who turned a college term paper about shipping packages nationwide into one of the most successful businesses in history, has died at 80. Smith served four years in the U.

Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx who helped create the overnight delivery industry, changing the way businesses and consumers get the goods they purchased, has died. He was 80 years old.

Frederick W. Smith, who revolutionized express delivery as the founder and longtime chief executive of FedEx, a company that became so ubiquitous its name gained currency as a verb, died June 21 in Memphis.