Courtlandt Sherrington "Cort" Gross (21 November 1904 – 15 July 1982) was an American

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

pioneer and executive who served as a leading officer of

Lockheed Corporation The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and merged in 1995 with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but otherwise-u ...

for 35 years. He retired as chairman in 1967.

Life and career

Gross was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He and his brother Robert E. Gross purchased the company Lockheed Corporation in 1932 and built it into an

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

conglomerate. Gross, his wife Alexandra Van Rensselaer Devereux Gross, and their housekeeper Catherine O'Hara VanderVeur were murdered in their home in

Villanova, Pennsylvania Villanova is census-designated place in Pennsylvania, United States. A suburb of Philadelphia, the community straddles the border of Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County and Radnor Township in Delaware County. It is located at the cen ...

.Robbins, William (July 17, 1982). "3 Killed in Mansion on Philadelphia's Main Line". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.Flint, Peter B. (July 17, 1982). "Courtlandt S. Gross and His Wife Dominant in Main Line's Society". ''The New York Times''.United Press international (September 19, 1982). "Trial Ordered in Gross Case". ''The New York Times''. Drifter Roger P. Buehl was convicted of the murders.Robbins, William (January 19, 1983)
"Jury returns guilty verdict in Main Line triple murder"
''The New York Times''.

References

External links

February 11, 1966. 1904 births 1982 deaths American aerospace businesspeople Businesspeople from Boston Harvard University alumni People murdered in Pennsylvania 20th-century American businesspeople {{Aviation-bio-stub