Paul W. Litchfield
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Paul W. Litchfield (July 26, 1875 – March 18, 1959) was an American inventor, industrialist, and author. He served as President, Chairman, and the first CEO of the
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...
and the founder of the town of
Litchfield Park, Arizona Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located west of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,847, up from 5,476 in 2010. History The town of Litchfield Park is a community out ...
and the city of
Goodyear, Arizona Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and at the 2020 census had a population of 95,294, up from 65,275 in 2010 and 18,911 in 2000. The city is home to the Goodyear Ballpark, where the Clev ...
. Among his many accomplishments as chairman was the establishment of a research and development department that produced the first practical airplane tire, long-haul conveyor belts, hydraulic disc brakes for airplanes, the first pneumatic truck tire, and a bullet-sealing fuel tank for military airplanes. Litchfield was also the author of books on air power, trucks, employee relations, and business.


Early years

Paul Weeks Litchfield was born in
Boston 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 ...
, Massachusetts to Charles M. Litchfield and Julia W. Litchfield. He was a descendant of ''
Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...
'' pilgrims. He received his primary and secondary education in his native city and continued his higher education at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
. In 1896, he graduated and earned a degree in chemical engineering. His first job in the rubber business was with a bicycle-tire manufacturer.Encyclopaedia Britannica
/ref>Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century
/ref>
/ref>


Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

Litchfield went to work for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company plant in
Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...
. He soon became superintendent of the plant. In 1899, he designed and patented the first pneumatic wheels (tubeless tires) which were used in New York City's busses on Fifth Avenue. He became the superintendent and plant manager by 1900. In 1903, he met Florence Pennington Printon, who worked for the
Akron Beacon Journal The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon Jo ...
. They were married on June 23, 1904. Under his direction, Goodyear began to experiment in the development of airplane parts. In 1910, he advocated for the establishment of an aeronautics department in the company. The company accepted his ideas and began to be involved in the production of aircraft that were lighter-than-air. The new department also produced observation balloons and after World War I, would team up with the German
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German aircraft manufacturing company. It is perhaps best known for its leading role in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, commonly referred to as ''Zeppelin, Zeppelins'' due to the company's prominence ...
Company to produce
zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155â ...
s, and
dirigible An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat ( lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding ...
s. Some of these set size and altitude records.Goodyear History
/ref> During World War I, the demand for cotton was at an all-time high in the United States. He needed strong fabric for a new tire he designed, he wanted it woven only from long cotton staple. Litchfield believed there were places in the United States where the climate and soil conditions were very similar to those of the Nile Valley in Egypt. The
United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
suggested that cotton could be grown in the area surrounding
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
.Litchfield Park History
/ref>


Litchfield Park

He became interested in the
Salt River Valley The Salt River Valley is an extensive valley on the Salt River (Arizona), Salt River in central Arizona, which contains the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Although this geographic term still identifies the area, the name "Valley of the Sun" popularl ...
area and convinced the Goodyear company to establish the Southwest Cotton Company in Phoenix. Litchfield was named president and he purchased in the general Salt River Valley area which included around the present site of Litchfield Park, then known as Litchfield Ranch.Goodyear
/ref> He and Southwest Cotton also leased about 8,000 acres from Chandler Improvement Company which owned a large portion of land around Phoenix at the time. Two thousand men and women, mostly Mexican migrants and Native Americans were recruited by the Southwest Cotton Company. They transformed the desert area into agricultural fields and cultivated thousands of acres of cotton fields. Litchfield took an interest in the community which he established and in 1917, he established a cemetery for the employees of the Goodyear Farms and the Wigwam Resort. The cemetery was first called the "Pioneer Cemetery" and later changed to " Litchfield Cemetery". In 1918, he had the Wigwam Organizational House built by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as lodging for local ranch suppliers. This was the first building of what was to become the Wigwam Hotel which opened its doors in 1929. In 1919, he had the St. Thomas Mission Church a.k.a. "St. Thomas Aquinas Mission Church" built. The church was built primarily for the Mexican farm workers of the Southwest Cotton Company. That same year he oversaw the construction of the Litchfield Elementary Schools. In 1920, the Litchfield Train Station, a feeder station of the Southern-Pacific Rock-Island Line, near Maricopa County 85 and Litchfield Road was established. On one occasion Litchfield was in a gambling casino in
Ensenada, Mexico Ensenada ("inlet") is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on BahĂ­a de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja Californ ...
. He became fascinated by the interior of the casino and made a detailed drawing of it. He used it as a model for the sanctuary of the Church at Litchfield Park which was built in 1938 by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company crew.


President of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

By 1924, Litchfield was Vice President of the Goodyear Co. That same year he forged a joint venture with the German
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German aircraft manufacturing company. It is perhaps best known for its leading role in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, commonly referred to as ''Zeppelin, Zeppelins'' due to the company's prominence ...
Company. The two companies built two Zeppelins in the United States. The Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation was created to facilitate the relationship. In 1926, Litchfield went on to become the president of the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. As company president, he was responsible for the company's expansion and set up plants, factories and plantations in foreign countries such as
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
,
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, and Mexico. He expanded the company's operation in South America, Europe, and Africa. The two airships built by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation were the USS ''Akron'' a.k.a. "ZRS-4" and the USS ''Macon'' a.k.a. (ZRS-5). Both were designed by Chief Designer
Karl Arnstein Karl Arnstein (March 24, 1887, Prague – December 12, 1974, Bryan, Ohio) was one of the most important 20th century airship engineers and designers in Germany and the United States, United States of America. He was born in Prague, Bohemia (now ...
and a team of experienced German airship engineers. The construction of the USS ''Akron'' airship began on October 31, 1929, at the
Goodyear Airdock The Goodyear Airdock is a construction and storage airship hangar in Akron, Ohio. At its completion in 1929, it was the largest building in the world without interior supports. Description The building has a unique shape which has been descr ...
in
Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...
. A special hangar had to be built because this ship was larger than any other airship previously built in the United States. The airship was launched on August 8, 1931. Construction of the USS ''Macon'' began in May 1931 and launched on March 11, 1933. Both airships were sold to the
United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary of War James McHenr ...
. In 1930, Litchfield became the chairman of the board of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, thus becoming the company's first CEO. He was featured on the cover of
Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
on August 10, 1931, Vol. XVIII, No. 6. The partnership between the Goodyear Co. and the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Company ended after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
began, but the American company continued to build
blimp A non-rigid airship, commonly called a blimp (Help:IPA/English, /blÉŞmp/), is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid airship, semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on th ...
s under the Goodyear name.


World War II

In 1943, he was responsible for the establishment of a research and development department in the company. The department developed various items which would be of great help to the United States military during its involvement in World War II. Among the items produced were the first practical airplane tire, long-haul conveyor belts, hydraulic disc brakes for airplanes, the first pneumatic truck tire, and a bullet-sealing fuel tank for military airplanes. The research department provided work for 250 research scientists. Under his direction the company became the 10 largest company producing aircraft and airplane parts during the war era, in the United States. It employed 37,000 workers. The company manufactured
F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...
fighter planes for the U.S. Military.


Organizer, Volunteer, and Philanthropist, Akron Area Council, Boy Scouts of America

Paul Litchfield first became involved in Scouting in 1913, 3 years after the founding of the
Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
. He helped organize the Akron Council (later the Akron Area Council and now the Great Trail Council). He served as Council President from 1918-1919 and was a member of the council Board of Trustees. When H. Karl Butler died in 1926, he left 414 acres to the Akron Area Council for Camp Manatoc but with the condition that the council raise $100,000 within five years to expand and improve the quality of the camp. In 1931, Litchfield and the
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...
donated $38,888.88; the B.F. Goodrich Company donated $33,333.34; and the
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey S. Firestone (18681938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, carriages, and other form ...
donated $27,777.78 fulfilling the condition of Butler's will. Under Litchfield’s leadership,
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...
sponsored numerous Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout, Sea Scout, Air Scout, Girl Scout, and Girl Scout Mariner (the Girl Scout version of Sea Scouts) troops. For example, in 1945, the “Wingfoot Clan” reported that Goodyear has sponsored troops for 32 years (since 1913) and currently sponsors 15 Scout units, 554 boys, and 150 leaders in the Akron area and more elsewhere. While less frequently mentioned, Goodyear also sponsored units for African-American Scouts during the time of segregation. There are hundreds of short articles about all of their activities in the “Wingfoot Clan,” the company newsletter. In 1941, Litchfield, a member of the national BSA executive committee and father of the BSA
Air Scout Air Scouts are a part of the Scout movement with a particular emphasis on an aviation themed programme and/or flying-based activities. Air Scouts follow the same basic programme as other Scouts, but they devote certain amounts of time focused on ...
program, announced the formation Air Scouts. Litchfield had overseen the more than five years of planning that went into the formation of the Air Scout program. Air Scouts were not trained as pilots. They engaged in all standard Scouting activities and additionally learned aspects of ground training, aviation history, weather, and many other aspects of aviation. In June, 1942, Goodyear announced that Squadron 1, the first Air Scout Squadron in the country, had been chartered in Akron with 38 boys, aged 15 or older. In 1945, Goodyear chartered a second squadron, Air Scout Squadron 6. Litchfield received the
Silver Beaver Award The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of Scouting America. Recipients of the award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. Those deemed ...
in 1931, the
Silver Antelope Award The Silver Antelope Award is a distinguished service award presented by Scouting America for outstanding service to young people within one of the organization’s divisions. Since 2022 award has been presented for service to a Council Service T ...
in 1944, and the
Silver Buffalo Award The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of Scouting America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting program. The ...
in 1945. He built and donated the Goodyear Scout Lodge and made possible The Litchfield Scout Award. The Goodyear Sea Scouts and Mariners used a ship called the P. W. Litchfield, which was based in Turkeyfoot Lake.


Later years

Litchfield retired in 1956 and continued to live with his wife and family in his ranch "Rancho La Loma" located on a hill in the town which now bears his name and along Litchfield Road. The property had four additional "cottages" for family members besides the main house. In 1958, Litchfield's health began to take a turn for the worse and he and his wife moved to a new house on Fairway Drive, close to a golf course.Litchfield Legends
/ref> On March 18, 1959, Paul Weeks Litchfield died in his home. He was survived by his wife and two daughters, Katherine and Edith. Mrs. Litchfield moved to Akron, Ohio and died in 1972 at the age of 92. Edith and her husband Wally Denny resided in "Rancho La Loma" until their deaths in 2001 and 2008, respectively. The Edith and Wallace Denny estate offered to the City of Litchfield Park "La Loma homestead" as a gift.


Accolades

Arizona named an important avenue "Litchfield Road" in his honor and
Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...
presents the Paul W. Litchfield Goodyear Scholarship to students entering the university and its regional campuses. To qualify for this award, one of the student's parents must be an employee with five or more years of service with, or a retiree of, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company or one of its domestic subsidiaries. The selection for this renewable award is based on the students academic records, national test scores and financial need. In 1959, Akron, Ohio named a new middle school Paul Weeks Litchfield Middle School (usually referred to Litchfield Middle School and later as Litchfield Junior High School). The school was demolished in 2013 and replaced in 2016 by Litchfield Community Learning Center.
Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statist ...
honored Litchfield by naming a school, Litchfield High School, after him in 1970. This was due to the fact that in 1929, Litchfield had a plant built in Gadsden providing the people of that town with employment. Litchfield Park, which was founded in 1916, was incorporated as a city in 1987. The lake at Great Trail Council's Camp Manatoc is named Lake Litchfield.


Written works

Litchfield authored various books including his autobiography ''Industrial Voyage'' which was published in 1954. The following books are among those authored by Paul W. Litchfield: * ''The Industrial Republic: A Study in Industrial Economics''; Publisher: Forgotten Books; . * ''Industrial Voyage; My Life as an Industrial Lieutenant''; Publisher: Doubleday; First edition; . * ''Why? – Why America has no Rigid Airships''; Publisher: Corday & Gross, Columbus, Ohio; First edition; . * ''Autumn Leaves: Reflections of an Industrial Lieutenant''; Publisher Corday & Gross, Cleveland Ohio, 1945.


Further reading

* "Litchfield Park"; by: Crouch, Celeste S.; Publisher: Arcadia Publishing; . * "Los Campos" (The Camps of Litchfield Park 1929–1986); by: Cruz Pariga Dominguez and Belen Soto Moreno; Publisher: Litchfield Park Historical Society; .


See also

* Litchfield Park *
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...
* Goodyear Farms Historic Cemetery * John C. Lincoln


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*
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*
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Litchfield, Paul W. 1875 births 1959 deaths American chemical engineers American chief executives of materials companies Businesspeople from Massachusetts Businesspeople from Phoenix, Arizona Businesspeople from Boston American city founders Businesspeople from Akron, Ohio American chief executives in the automobile industry