William Edward Boeing

Founder of Boeing · (1881 - 1956)

• || Achievement

• Founder of Boeing, one of only two major air manufacturers in the world.

• || Achievements made possible by
• Experimenting with boat design, he became fascinated with aircraft when he saw a manned flying machine for the first time at an exposition in Seattle in 1909. When America entered the First World War in April 1917 he obtained orders for 50 planes from the United States Navy. At the end of World War I, Boeing concentrated on commercial aircraft and built a successful airmail operation securing contracts to supply the airmail service.
• || Born
• October 1, 1881 in Detroit, Michigan to Wilhelm Boeing, a wealthy mining enginner.
• || Education
• Entered Yale University in 1900 and left in 1903 to join his father's lumber business.
• || Married
• Bertha Marie in 1921