Boeing, William Edward, 1881-1956
Dates
- Existence: 1881 - 1956
- Usage: 1881 - 1956
Biographical Note: William E. Boeing
William E. "Bill" Boeing was an aviation pioneer who founded The Boeing Company in 1916.
William Edward Boeing, Sr. was born in Detroit, Michigan on October 1, 1881 to Marie Ortmann and Wilhelm Böing. After leaving Yale University in 1903, Boeing relocated to Washington state to go into the lumber business. In 1909, he saw a manned flying machine for the first time and a new interest was born. Boeing took flying lessons from Glenn Martin at the Martin Flying School in Los Angeles, California and bought a Martin aircraft. His interest grew and, in partnership with his friend, U.S. Navy Commander George Conrad "G.C." Westervelt, he decided to build an aircraft. This resulted in the B & W biplane seaplane, also known as the Boeing Model 1, which was such a success that Boeing decided to go into the aircraft business.
He purchased Heath Shipyard along the Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington, later to be known as the "Red Barn" or Boeing Plant 1, and began manufacturing aircraft. During World War I, Boeing Airplane Company built 50 planes for the United States Navy. After World War I, Boeing earned contracts to supply air mail service. Air mail service grew and later added passenger service, which evolved into United Airlines.
In 1929, Boeing helped form United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, which bought several small airlines and merged them into United Air Lines. In 1934, due to the Air Mail Act and post-Depression legislation that required the dispersion of the corporation, Boeing sold his interests in the Boeing Airplane Company but continued to work on other business ventures, spending most of his time involved in property development and the breeding of thoroughbred race horses.
In 1921, Boeing married Bertha Marie Potter Paschall (1891-1977). A year later, the couple had their son, William E. "Bill" Boeing, Jr. (1922-2015). Bill Boeing, Sr. remained in the Seattle, Washington area until his death on September 28, 1956.
Sources and Further Reading:
Boeing. "Executive Biography of William E. Boeing." Accessed October 23, 2019. https://www.boeing.com/history/pioneers/william-e-boeing.page
Wikipedia. "William E. Boeing." Last modified October 17, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_E._Boeing
Places
- Seattle (Wash.) (Residence)
- Washington (State) (Residence)
- Detroit (Mich.) (Place of Birth)
Found in 14 Collections and/or Records:
Clayton Scott Papers
Steve A. Stimpson Photograph Album
Steve A. Stimpson was a manager for Boeing Air Transport in the 1920s-1930s. The collection contains one hundred and fifty-two (152) black-and-white photographs in an unbound photograph album documenting early United Airlines history.
Peter M. Wood Boeing Family Film Collection
William E. Boeing was an aviation pioneer who founded The Boeing Company in 1916. The Peter M. Wood Boeing Family Film Collection contains six films, primarily home movies of Boeing family members, from about 1930-1940.
Jackson, Jim -- oral history interview, 2014 September 23
Contact us with a research request
curator@museumofflight.org