Frederick Coolidge Crawford (March 19, 1891 – December 9, 1994) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was also the president of Thompson Products, Inc. (which later became part of TRW) and a major promoter of the National Air Races in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Crawford was born March 19, 1891, in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Waterto ...

, and went to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, graduating magna cum laude with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree. In 1916, he earned a

master of engineering A Master of Engineering (abbreviated MEng, M.E. or M.Eng.) is either an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering. International variations Australia In Australia, the Master of Engineering degree is a research de ...

. Soon after he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a millwright's assistant. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Thompson Products and Crawford manufactured auto and aviation components critical to the allied war effort. In 1957, he was awarded the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

's Vermilye Medal. In 1972, Crawford received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

. In 1993, he was inducted into the

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with it ...

. He had previously been elected to the Business Hall of Fame and the

Automotive Hall of Fame The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum. It was founded in 1939 and has over 800 worldwide honorees. It is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. the Automotive Hall of Fame includes persons who have contributed greatly to a ...

. He was recognized worldwide for his leadership in the automotive and aviation industries, as a pioneer in the human relations field (who kept management–labor strife to a minimum at Thompson and TRW by providing effective channels for worker grievances and collective bargaining), and a leader in the philanthropic community in Cleveland, Ohio. Crawford denounced

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) ...

labor leader

Walter Reuther Walter Philip Reuther (; September 1, 1907 – May 9, 1970) was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history. He ...

as "a socialist at heart ... (who) can see no place for the stockholder in American industry, and is a ruthless, ambitious, unprincipled labor leader... ." As head of Thompson Products for more than 25 years, Crawford oversaw the company's transformation from an automotive and aircraft parts manufacturer to a leader in the aviation and aerospace industries. For many years, Crawford collected antique automobiles. His original motivation was simply that he saw historical value in saving certain early examples that, before the 1950s, were generally not valued by anyone except at their scrap value. The collection became known as the "Auto Album". The collection was housed by TRW before being donated to the

Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum is a transportation museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Western Reserve Historical Society's Cleveland History Center in University Circle, and its collection includes about 170 cars. It ...

of the

Western Reserve Historical Society The Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) is a historical society in Cleveland, Ohio. The society operates the Cleveland History Center, a collection of museums in University Circle. The society was founded in 1867, making it the oldest cul ...

. Crawford was a trustee of Case Institute of Technology, now Case Western Reserve University, where Crawford Hall was named in his honor.

Selected bibliography

* Crawford, Frederick C. and Colket, Jr., Meredith. (1973). The Architecture of Cleveland: Twelve Buildings, 1836–1912.

, Cleveland, Ohio. * Johnston, Christopher, Ed. (1992). Storyettes: Reminiscences of Frederick Coolidge Crawford. The Press at Cropthorne, Cleveland, Ohio. * Crawford, Frederick C. and Johnston, Christoper. (1993). Selected Speeches of Frederick Coolidge Crawford. Privately printed, Cleveland, Ohio. * Johnston, Christopher, Ed. (1994). Storyettes: Reminiscences of Frederick Coolidge Crawford, Volume II. The Stinehour Press, Lunenburg, Vermont.

References

American chief executives of manufacturing companies Businesspeople from Cleveland People in the automobile industry 1891 births 1994 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Harvard College alumni 20th-century American businesspeople {{automobile-bio-stub

Selected bibliography

Further reading

References