Mixing
William T. Piper
William T. Piper | |
|---|---|
 Piper in 1957 | |
| Born | William Thomas Piper (1881-01-08)January 8, 1881 Olean, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1970(1970-01-15) (aged 89) Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Highland Cemetery |
| Occupation | Businessman and engineer |
| Known for | Founder of Piper Aircraft |
| Net worth | $30 million (1955) ($276 million in 2018 dollars) |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Theresa Van DeWater (m. 1910— her death 1937) |
| Children | 3; William Jr., Thomas and Howard |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1897–1915 |
William Thomas Piper Sr. (January 8, 1881 – January 15, 1970) was an American airplane manufacturer, aviation businessman, oil industry businessman, and engineer.[1][2] He was the founding president of the Piper Aircraft Corporation and led the company from 1929 until his death in 1970.[3] He graduated from Harvard University in 1903 and later became known as "the Henry Ford of aviation".[4][5]
Prior to Piper's successful business career he was an officer in the United States Army serving in the Spanish–American War. He was then in the United States Army Corps of Engineers during World War I.[6] In total Piper served 18 years in the Army. When he returned from World War I he was primarily an investor and businessman in the oil industry[7] until 1929 when he became an investor in the Taylor Aircraft Corporation. He went on to purchase Taylor Aircraft Corporation and head it until several years before his death. He founded Piper Aircraft and saw tremendous success, becoming a well-known aviation figure in the 20th century.[8]Piper Aircraft sold over 80,000 units when he oversaw the company, cementing Piper as a global aerospace manufacturing power.[9][10][11]
Piper was posthumously inducted in the National Aviation Hall of Fame class of 1980. The William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania is named in his honor. Piper's son William Piper Jr. took over the company after Piper Sr. died in 1970.[12] At the time of Piper's death in 1970, Piper was worth an estimated $55 million dollars (over $347 million in 2017 dollars). Piper's net worth would have ranked him within the Forbes 400 richest people at the time of his death.[13]
Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Military and commercial career
2 Death and legacy
3 In popular culture
3.1 Literature
3.2 Film
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Biography
Early life
Piper was born on January 8, 1881 in Olean, New York, Cattaraugus County 14 miles Northeast of Bradford, PA. Piper was the second youngest of 5 children of Thomas and Sarah Elizabeth Piper (née Maltby). His father dabbled both in dairy farming and in the promising crude oil business as Piper was growing up often helping his father. By the time he was eight, Piper was milking cows and walking several miles to a one-room country school. At the age of nine he introduced himself to the oil business when he assisted his father in the task of repairing well pumps. When family finances improved, the Piper family moved to Bradford, Pennsylvania.
In 1898 due to the sinking of the USS Maine Piper lied about his age and joined the United States Army. Piper attended Harvard University where he was on the track and field team. He graduated in 1903 with honors with a degree in business and mechanical engineering.[14]
Military and commercial career
The Piper J-3 Cub, the company's most influential aircraft
Piper served in the Spanish–American War and World War I, in the latter as a captain in the Corps of Engineers.[citation needed] He made most of his fortune from oil wells. In 1929, he became the original investor in the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation for $400 ($5,647 in 2017 dollars). A year later, during the onset of the Great Depression, the company went bankrupt and Piper bought its assets and reorganized it into the Taylor Aircraft Corporation. During this period, he sought to manufacture reliable and affordable light aircraft. In 1937, Piper established the Piper Aircraft Corporation and, by 1940, the company dominated the light aircraft market. At the time, a Piper Cub and flying lessons cost $1,325 dollars ($19,808 in 2017 dollars). The Piper Cub would go on to become the most-produced fabric-covered monoplane in history, with over 20,000 units delivered from 1938–1947.
Death and legacy
The Piper family mausoleum located atop Highland Cemetery in Lock Haven, where William is interred
Piper died in his home in Lock Haven due to natural causes on January 15, 1970.[15] Just prior to his death, in 1968, Piper's son, William Piper, Jr., took over the company and was appointed president. In 1970, Piper Jr. was also named chairman by the board, and in 1973, Piper Aircraft was sold, moving from Pennsylvania to where it is located today, Vero Beach, Florida.
In 1980, William Piper was posthumously inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.[16] In 1993, Piper was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.[17] The William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania is named in his honor.[18][19][20][21]
Ever since 2009 the William T. Piper Scholarship has been awarded nationally to high school students looking to pursue a career within aviation.[22][23]
In popular culture
Piper's appearances in literature, film and theater:
Literature
Mr. Piper and His Cubs (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
ISBN 9780813812502) published in 1996 discusses Piper's founding of Piper Aircraft as well as the design, development and production of the Piper Cub.
Piper Cub Tales (
ISBN 9780978826031) published in 2012.
Flight of Passage (
ISBN 9780786883158)
Those Legendary Piper Cubs: Their Role In War And Peace (
ISBN 9780764321597) talks about Piper's involvement in the Cub program and how the aircraft was instrumental in war in the air.
Film
How It's Made, (TV Series) season 26, episode 14 shows how Piper Aircraft build planes, with Pipers legacy discussed.[24][25]
- The Amazing Piper, (Documentary)[26]
- Light Aircraft in America, (Documentary)[27]
See also
- List of aviation pioneers
- List of Harvard University people
- List of aerospace engineers
References
^ "William T. Piper | American manufacturer". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ "Bill Piper and the Piper Cubs | HistoryNet". HistoryNet. 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ "Bill Piper and the Piper Cubs". HistoryNet. 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ "William T. Piper | Pioneers of Flight". pioneersofflight.si.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ "An Appreciation: William T. Piper Jr., a pleasant man of accomplishment". General Aviation News. 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ Keller, Thomas. "Piper's legacy in aviation and the military lives on". Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ "Piper, William Thomas Sr". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ "Piper legacy going strong". The Daily Item. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ "Piper Aviation Museum named top tourist attraction in county | News, Sports, Jobs - The Express". Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ June 24, ohtadmin | on; 2016. "Piper's Legacy". www.pabusinesscentral.com. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ uncoveringpa (2017-09-25). "Exploring the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania". UncoveringPA. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ June 24, ohtadmin | on; 2016. "Piper's Legacy". www.pabusinesscentral.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
^ "The world's richest person in every decade". lovemoney.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
^ "William T Piper aviation hall of fame bio".
^ Krebs, Albin. "William T. Piper, Who Developed the Cub, Dead". Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ "William Piper, Sr". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
^ Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor. These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006.
ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.
^ "William T. Piper Memorial Airport". Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ "Piper Aircraft Announces William T. Piper Scholarship Recipient - Piper". Piper. 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ Scholarships.com. "Aiaa William T Piper Sr General Aviation Systems Graduate Award - Scholarships.com". www.scholarships.com. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^ Weber, Harry F. (1944). "WILLIAM T. PIPER, SENIOR, LEADER IN THE LIGHT-AIRPLANE INDUSTRY". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 11 (3): 223–229. JSTOR 27766616.
^ "William T. Piper Scholarship Recipient Selected | Midwest Flyer – General Aviation Magazine". midwestflyer.com. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ "Home : The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics". www.aiaa.org. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ "DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S "HOW IT'S MADE" FINALIZES FILMING AT PIPER AIRCRAFT". Piper. 2015-01-30. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
^ Aviation Edition: Aircraft, retrieved 2019-02-11
^ Johanns Media (2014-06-05), Behind the Scenes - Episode #07 - Piper Dakota Documentary, retrieved 2019-02-11
^ Christian Sturm (2012-02-24), The Construction of a Light Aircraft (1943), retrieved 2019-02-11
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William T. Piper. |
- William Piper biography in the Army Aviation Association of America
William T. Piper at Find a Grave
- Obituary from The New York Times
- Piper in the NASM's Pioneers of Flight Gallery
Authority control  |
|
|---|
Comments
Post a Comment