Donald Wills Douglas Sr.
Donald Willis Douglas Sr. | |
---|---|
Palm Springs, California | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1914) |
Known for | Douglas Aircraft Company |
Donald Wills Douglas Sr. (April 6, 1892 – February 1, 1981) was an American aircraft industrialist and engineer.
An aviation pioneer, he designed and built the Douglas Cloudster. Though it failed in its intended purpose—being the first to fly non-stop across the United States—it became the first airplane with a payload greater than its own weight.[2][3][4][5]
He founded the
Early life
Douglas was born in
After graduation in 1909, he enrolled in the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He had been an early aviation enthusiast; at the age of 16 in the fall of 1908, he convinced his mother that he needed to witness the Fort Myer trials of the Wright Flyer. He later built model airplanes, some with rubber-bands and other motors, in his dormitory room at Annapolis and tested them on the grounds and in the academy's armory.[9] In 1912 he resigned from the academy in order to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering.
After being turned down for jobs by
Early engineering career
In 1915 Douglas joined the
In March 1920, Douglas resigned from his $10,000 (equivalent to $152,000 in 2023) a year job to return to California, where he had met and, in 1916, married Charlotte Marguerite Ogg (1892–1976). They had four sons and one daughter including Donald Jr.[13]
He soon started his first aircraft company, Davis-Douglas Company[12] with $40,000 financing from partner David Davis. They worked together to attempt to build an aircraft that could fly coast to coast nonstop, the Douglas Cloudster. Following an unsuccessful attempt, Davis left the partnership, and Douglas founded the Douglas Aircraft Company.[14]
World War II
Donald Douglas was not only a very highly regarded engineer and bold entrepreneur, but as World War II approached, he proved to be remarkably prescient. A year and a half before Pearl Harbor, he was already writing that this was the "hour of destiny for American aviation." He expressed confidence that the industry could meet the need, and laid out the methods by which it would be transformed from small companies producing aircraft in small batches to making them on a production-line basis. The aircraft industry grew from a distant 41st place among American industries to first place in less than five years. Douglas Aircraft grew from being a small company with 68 employees in 1922 to being the fourth largest business in the United States.[15]
The United States out-produced its enemies in totalitarian societies. As William S. Knudsen of the National Defense Advisory Commission observed, "We won because we smothered the enemy in an avalanche of production, the like of which he had never seen, nor dreamed possible." Donald Douglas summed it up similarly, "Here's proof that free men can out-produce slaves."[16]
Post-war
Douglas Sr. retired in 1957 and was replaced by his son, Donald Douglas Jr. as company president. He retained his position as chairman of the board.[17]
In 1967, the company was struggling to expand production to meet demand for
Douglas Sr. served as honorary chairman of the McDonnell Douglas board until his death on February 1, 1981, at the age of 88.[17] In keeping with his lifelong love for the sea, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.[18]
McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997, marking the end of the Douglas name in the aviation industry.
Awards and honors
Source:[19]
- Collier Trophy (1926)
- Guggenheim Medal(1939)
- (1947)
- US Certificate of Merit (1948)
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (1950)
- Légion d'honneur(1951)
- USAF Exceptional Service Award(1953)
- Royal Order of the Dannebrog (1955)
- Elmer A. Sperry Award (1956)
- Franklin Medal (1958)
- Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy (1963)
- Tony Jannus Award (1966)
- Inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame (1967)[20]
- National Aviation Hall of Fame (1969)
- National Academy of Sciences (1973)[21]
- Inducted into the Airlift/Tanker Association Hall of Fame (1990) [22]
A statue of Douglas, a recreation of his office and the Douglas Aircraft Company boardroom is at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, California. Douglas is ranked seventh on the aviation magazine Flying's list of its 51 Heroes of Aviation.[23]
Another statue of Douglas and a set of commemorative plaques for him are at the Douglas Park in Long Beach, California, the redevelopment of former site of McDonnell Douglas plant near the Long Beach Airport.[24][25][26]
A bust of Douglas, and a commemorative plaque for him is located at the Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Illinois.[27]
Douglas Park in Santa Monica, California is also named after Douglas.[28]
References
- ^ a b Francillon, 1988. p. 2.
- ^ "Donald Douglas". PBS. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ^ Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, pp. 202–3, Random House, New York, NY, 2012.
- ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, pp. 7–14, Cypress, CA, 2013.
- ^ Borth, Christy. Masters of Mass Production, pp. 244, Bobbs-Merrill Co., Indianapolis, IN, 1945.
- ^ Ralph Vartabedian (October 25, 1999). "A 40-Year-Long Dogfight for Aircraft Supremacy". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, pp. 13–48, Cypress, CA, 2013.
- TheGuardian.com.
- ^ "PIONEERS IN AVIATION: THE RACE TO THE MOON, Episode I".
- ISBN 0-19-516897-6.
- ^ Yenne. The Pictorial History of American Aircraft.
- ^ a b Francillon, 1988. p. 3.
- ^ "Donald Wills Douglas | Encyclopedia.com".
- ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, pp. 13–16, Cypress, CA, 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.
- ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.
- ^ a b "Executive Biography of Donald W. Douglas Sr". Boeing. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
- ^ Morrison, 1991. pp. 255.
- ^ Francillon, 1988. pp. 3–4.
- ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.
- ^ "J. C. Hunsaker Award in Aeronautical Engineering". National Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ "Induction into the A/TA Hall of Fame 1990".
- ^ 51 Heroes of Aviation: #7 Donald Douglas from Flying Magazine
- ^ "Douglas Park". Great American Bronze Works, Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ "Douglas Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ Mehlinger, Samantha (May 7, 2018). "The Storied History Of Douglas Park". Long Beach Business Journal. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ "Donald W. Douglas Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ "Douglas Park | Los Angeles Conservancy". www.laconservancy.org. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
Bibliography
- Francillon, Rene J (1988). McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. Vol. 1. UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-87021-428-4.
- Morrison, Wilbur H (1991). Donald W. Douglas, a Heart with Wings. Vol. 1. US: Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-81381-834-6.
- ISBN 0-679-40064-8.
External links
- "Bio: Donald Douglas", Centennial of Flight, US government (archived 2012)
- "Bio: Donald Wills Douglas", Boeing history website.
- Popular Science, October 1940, Here's My Story – Donald Wills Douglas