Elliot Marantette "Pete" Estes (January 7, 1916 – March 24, 1988) was an American automotive engineer and executive; he is best known as the fifteenth president of

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

, from 1974 to 1981. He had previously been the Chief Engineer at Pontiac, President of Pontiac Division, and President of Chevrolet Division before becoming executive Vice President of General Motors in 1972.

Biography

Elliot Marantette Estes was born on January 7, 1916, in Mendon, Michigan, and later moved to Constantine with his parents, where he graduated from the Constantine High School. He is descended on his mother's side from Patrick Marantette and Francis Mouton, early settlers in 1830s Mendon who were from Detroit and of French ancestry. After school Estes worked in a creamery in Constantine, Michigan. At the suggestion of a cousin, he applied to the General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), an engineering institute started in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

, that had a cooperative study program combining work experience in the automotive industry. There he worked with

Charles Kettering Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 25, 1958) sometimes known as Charles Fredrick Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents. For the list of patents issued to Kettering, see, Le ...

and later oversaw the successful introduction of the Oldsmobile Rocket V8 engine. Also, he was credited with coining the name for the Chevrolet Camaro. Following his tenure as an engineer at

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produc ...

, Estes was appointed Chief Engineer at Pontiac in 1956 by Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen. After becoming President of the Pontiac Division in 1961, he oversaw a dramatic increase in sales. He became President of the Chevrolet Division in 1965, executive Vice President of General Motors in 1972, and served as President of GM from 1974 to his retirement from the company in 1981. Estes was inducted into the

Automotive Hall of Fame The Automotive Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum honoring influential figures in the history of the automotive industry. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, US. The Hall of Fame is part of the MotorCities National Herita ...

in 1999. After his retirement, Estes served as a director on the board of the

Kellogg Company Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets convenience foods and snack f ...

. He died of a heart attack at

O'Hare Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop business district. The airport is operated by the ...

on March 24, 1988, while on his way to a board meeting.

References

External links

A Memorial Tribute by Robert A. Frosch. Original page unavailable but captured from Internet Archive Wayback MachineProfile at Kettering University (formerly GMI.) Original page unavailable but captured from Internet Archive Wayback Machine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estes, Pete 1916 births 1988 deaths People from Mendon, Michigan American automotive engineers General Motors executives Kettering University faculty 20th-century American engineers