David P. Bushnell
Encyclopedia
David Pearsall Bushnell (March 31, 1913 – March 24, 2005) was an American
entrepreneur
. Mr. Bushnell founded his company, Bushnell, in 1948. At that time, binoculars
were largely an item of luxury. Through a strategy of importation from foreign manufacturers who provided optics to his specifications, Bushnell made binoculars
widely available to middle-class Americans for the first time. As of 2006, Bushnell Optical remains the leading source of binoculars
in the United States
.
Bushnell died just a week before his 92nd birthday from non-Hodgkins lymphoma at his home in Laguna Beach, California
. He had studied engineering at Caltech before leaving to take a student-style trip around the world during the Depression, carrying letters of recommendation from Robert Millikan
, the head of Caltech, and Cordell Hull
, the Secretary of State. Bushnell then finished university with a degree in foreign trade at the University of Southern California
and started his own import-export business soon after. In 1948, on an extended honeymoon with his second wife who was also in foreign trade, he bought some binoculars in Japan. When he and his wife finally returned to California, his success selling 400 pair in otherwise awkward circumstances put him in the optical business. Binoculars were soon joined by riflescopes and various other optical equipment such as spotting scopes and telescopes. Half of a pair of Bushnell Custom Compact binoculars served as part of the backup navigation system in a Gemini space flight.
Some number of generations removed, David Pearsall Bushnell was a first cousin of David Bushnell
of Saybrook, Connecticut, who designed and built the first submarine used in war, against the British in 1776, and a first cousin of the theologian Horace Bushnell
, of Hartford, Connecticut.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. Mr. Bushnell founded his company, Bushnell, in 1948. At that time, binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
were largely an item of luxury. Through a strategy of importation from foreign manufacturers who provided optics to his specifications, Bushnell made binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
widely available to middle-class Americans for the first time. As of 2006, Bushnell Optical remains the leading source of binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Bushnell died just a week before his 92nd birthday from non-Hodgkins lymphoma at his home in Laguna Beach, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He had studied engineering at Caltech before leaving to take a student-style trip around the world during the Depression, carrying letters of recommendation from Robert Millikan
Robert Millikan
Robert A. Millikan was an American experimental physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics for his measurement of the charge on the electron and for his work on the photoelectric effect. He served as president of Caltech from 1921 to 1945...
, the head of Caltech, and Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
, the Secretary of State. Bushnell then finished university with a degree in foreign trade at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and started his own import-export business soon after. In 1948, on an extended honeymoon with his second wife who was also in foreign trade, he bought some binoculars in Japan. When he and his wife finally returned to California, his success selling 400 pair in otherwise awkward circumstances put him in the optical business. Binoculars were soon joined by riflescopes and various other optical equipment such as spotting scopes and telescopes. Half of a pair of Bushnell Custom Compact binoculars served as part of the backup navigation system in a Gemini space flight.
Some number of generations removed, David Pearsall Bushnell was a first cousin of David Bushnell
David Bushnell
David Bushnell , of Westbrook, Connecticut, was an American inventor during the Revolutionary War. He is credited with creating the first submarine ever used in combat, while studying at Yale University in 1775. He called it the Turtle because of its look in the water...
of Saybrook, Connecticut, who designed and built the first submarine used in war, against the British in 1776, and a first cousin of the theologian Horace Bushnell
Horace Bushnell
Horace Bushnell was an American Congregational clergyman and theologian.-Life:Bushnell was a Yankee born in the village of Bantam, township of Litchfield, Connecticut. He attended Yale College where he roomed with future magazinist Nathaniel Parker Willis. Willis credited Bushnell with teaching...
, of Hartford, Connecticut.