William Boeing
Encyclopedia
William Edward Boeing was an American aviation
pioneer who founded The Boeing
Company.
mining engineer named Wilhelm Böing who had made a fortune and who had a sideline as a timber
merchant. Anglicizing his name to "William Boeing" after returning from being educated in Switzerland
in 1900 to attend Yale University
, William Boeing left Yale in 1903 to go into the lumber side of the business. He bought extensive timberlands around Grays Harbor on the Pacific side of the Olympic Peninsula
. He also bought into lumber operations.
While president of Greenwood Timber Company, Boeing, who had experimented with boat design, travelled to Seattle, where, during the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
in 1909, he saw a manned flying machine for the first time and became fascinated with aircraft
.
In 1916, Boeing went into business with George Conrad Westervelt
as B & W and founded the Pacific Aero Products Co. When America entered the First World War
in April 1917, Boeing changed the name of Pacific Aero Products Co. to Boeing Airplane Company and obtained orders from the United States Navy
for 50 planes. At the end of the war, Boeing began to concentrate on commercial aircraft, secured contracts to supply airmail
service and built a successful airmail operation.
In 1921 William Boeing married Bertha Marie Paschall. She had previously been married to Nathaniel Paschall, a real estate broker with whom she bore two sons, Nathaniel "Nat" Paschall Jr. and Cranston Paschall. These two sons became Boeing's stepsons. The couple had a son of their own, William E. Boeing Jr. The stepsons went into aviation manufacturing as a career. Nat Paschall was a sales manager for Douglas Aircraft and then McDonnell Douglas. William E. Boeing Jr. became a noted private pilot and industrial real estate developer. Bertha was the daughter of Howard Cranston Potter and Alice Kershaw Potter. Through her father, Bertha was a descendant of merchant bankers Alexander Brown of Baltimore, James Brown and Brown's son-in-law and partner Howard Potter of New York; and through her mother, the granddaughter of Charles James Kershaw
and Mary Leavenworth Kershaw (a descendant of Henry Leavenworth
).
In 1934, the United States
government accused William Boeing of monopolistic practices
. The same year, the Air Mail Act forced airplane companies to separate flight operations from development and manufacturing. William Boeing divested himself of ownership as his holding company, United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
, broke into three separate entities:
Boeing Airplane Company, though a major manufacturer in a fragmented industry, did not really take off until the beginning of World War II.
The year of the divestiture, Boeing retired from the aircraft industry. He then spent the remainder of his years in property development and thoroughbred horse breeding
. His thoroughbred farm northeast of Seattle was called Aldarra. Aldarra was later developed by William E. Boeing Jr. as a luxury residential development in 2000.
William Boeing died on September 28, 1956, at the age of 74, just three days before his 75th birthday. He was pronounced dead on arrival
at the Seattle Yacht Club, having had a heart attack
aboard his yacht
.
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer who founded The Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
Company.
Biography
Boeing was born to a wealthy GermanGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
mining engineer named Wilhelm Böing who had made a fortune and who had a sideline as a timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
merchant. Anglicizing his name to "William Boeing" after returning from being educated in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1900 to attend Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, William Boeing left Yale in 1903 to go into the lumber side of the business. He bought extensive timberlands around Grays Harbor on the Pacific side of the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
. He also bought into lumber operations.
While president of Greenwood Timber Company, Boeing, who had experimented with boat design, travelled to Seattle, where, during the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909, publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest.It was originally planned for 1907, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush, but the organizers found out about the Jamestown Exposition being held...
in 1909, he saw a manned flying machine for the first time and became fascinated with aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
In 1916, Boeing went into business with George Conrad Westervelt
George Conrad Westervelt
George Conrad Westervelt was an U.S. Navy engineer who created the company "Pacific Aero Products Co." together with William Boeing. Westervelt later left the company and Boeing changed the name of the company to the Boeing Airplane Company...
as B & W and founded the Pacific Aero Products Co. When America entered the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in April 1917, Boeing changed the name of Pacific Aero Products Co. to Boeing Airplane Company and obtained orders from the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for 50 planes. At the end of the war, Boeing began to concentrate on commercial aircraft, secured contracts to supply airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
service and built a successful airmail operation.
In 1921 William Boeing married Bertha Marie Paschall. She had previously been married to Nathaniel Paschall, a real estate broker with whom she bore two sons, Nathaniel "Nat" Paschall Jr. and Cranston Paschall. These two sons became Boeing's stepsons. The couple had a son of their own, William E. Boeing Jr. The stepsons went into aviation manufacturing as a career. Nat Paschall was a sales manager for Douglas Aircraft and then McDonnell Douglas. William E. Boeing Jr. became a noted private pilot and industrial real estate developer. Bertha was the daughter of Howard Cranston Potter and Alice Kershaw Potter. Through her father, Bertha was a descendant of merchant bankers Alexander Brown of Baltimore, James Brown and Brown's son-in-law and partner Howard Potter of New York; and through her mother, the granddaughter of Charles James Kershaw
Charles James Kershaw
Charles James Kershaw was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England, in 1832. He came to America in 1841, and received his education at the Derby Line Academy, in Derby Line, Orleans County, Vermont. He came West in 1853, and engaged in a general trade in provisions, grain and flour, both in Milwaukee...
and Mary Leavenworth Kershaw (a descendant of Henry Leavenworth
Henry Leavenworth
Henry Leavenworth was an American soldier active in the War of 1812 and early military expeditions against the Plains Indians...
).
In 1934, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government accused William Boeing of monopolistic practices
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
. The same year, the Air Mail Act forced airplane companies to separate flight operations from development and manufacturing. William Boeing divested himself of ownership as his holding company, United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was formed in 1929, when William Boeing of the Boeing firms teamed up with Frederick Rentschler of Pratt & Whitney to form a large, amalgamated firm, uniting business interests in all aspects of aviation—a combination of aircraft engine and airframe...
, broke into three separate entities:
- United Aircraft Corporation, holding the former eastern US manufacturing (now United Technologies CorporationUnited Technologies CorporationUnited Technologies Corporation is an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in the United Technologies Building in Hartford, Connecticut...
) - Boeing Airplane Company, with western US manufacturing, which later became The Boeing Company
- United Air LinesUnited AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
for flight operations
Boeing Airplane Company, though a major manufacturer in a fragmented industry, did not really take off until the beginning of World War II.
The year of the divestiture, Boeing retired from the aircraft industry. He then spent the remainder of his years in property development and thoroughbred horse breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
. His thoroughbred farm northeast of Seattle was called Aldarra. Aldarra was later developed by William E. Boeing Jr. as a luxury residential development in 2000.
William Boeing died on September 28, 1956, at the age of 74, just three days before his 75th birthday. He was pronounced dead on arrival
Dead on arrival
Dead on arrival or D.O.A. is a term used to indicate that a patient was found to be already clinically dead upon the arrival of professional medical assistance, often in the form of first responders such as emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or police...
at the Seattle Yacht Club, having had a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
aboard his yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
.
Further reading
- Carl Cleveland, Boeing Trivia, (Seattle: CMC Books, 1989)
- Harold Mansfield, Vision: A Saga of the Sky (Duell, Sloan and PearceDuell, Sloan and PearceDuell, Sloan and Pearce was a publishing company located in New York City. It was founded in 1939 by C. Halliwell Duell, Samuel Sloan and Charles A. Pearce. It initially published general fiction and non-fiction, but not westerns, light romances or children's books...
, 1956) - Robert Serling, Legend & Legacy: The Story of Boeing and Its People (New York: St. Martin's PressSt. Martin's PressSt. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
, 1992)