William T. Piper Sr.
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William Thomas Piper Sr. (January 8, 1881 – January 15, 1970) 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 ...
and
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
industry businessman. He was the founding president of the
Piper Aircraft Corporation Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...
and led the company from 1929 until his death in 1970. He graduated from
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 ...
in 1903 and later became known as "the
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
of aviation". Prior to Piper's successful business career he was an officer in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
serving in the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
. He was then in the
United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. In total Piper served 18 years in the Army. When he returned from World War I he was primarily an investor and businessman in the
oil industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest volume products ...
until 1929 when he became an investor in the
Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...
. He went on to purchase the soon-renamed Taylor Aircraft Corporation and head it until reorganizing the company into
Piper Aircraft Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th cent ...
in 1937, eventually seeing tremendous success and becoming a well-known
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 ...
figure of the 20th century. Piper Aircraft sold over 80,000 units when he oversaw the company, cementing Piper as a global aerospace manufacturing power. Piper was
posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
inducted in 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 ...
class of 1980. The William T. Piper Memorial Airport in
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Lock Haven is a city in, and the county seat of, Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven Micropolitan ...
is named in his honor. Piper's son William Piper Jr. took over the company after Piper Sr. died in 1970. At the time of Piper SR.'s death, he was worth an estimated $55 million (over $347 million in 2017 dollars), ranking him within the
Forbes 400 The ''Forbes'' 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by ''Forbes'' magazine of the wealthiest 400 American citizens who own assets in the U.S., ranked by net worth. The 400 was started by Malcolm Forbes in 1982 and the list is ...
richest people in the world in 1970.


Biography


Early life

Piper was born on January 8, 1881, in Knapp Creek, New York,
Cattaraugus County Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...
8 miles South of Olean, NY. Piper was the second youngest of 5 children of Thomas and Sarah Elizabeth Piper (née Maltby). His father dabbled both in dairy farming and in the promising crude oil business as Piper was growing up often helping his father. By the time he was eight, Piper was milking cows and walking several miles to a one-room country school. At the age of nine he introduced himself to the oil business when he assisted his father in the task of repairing well pumps. When family finances improved, the Piper family moved to Bradford, Pennsylvania. In 1898, due to the sinking of the ''
USS Maine Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS ''Maine'', named for the 23rd state: * , was a battleship whose 1898 sinking precipitated the Spanish–American War. * , launched in 1901, was the lead ship of her class of battleship ...
'', Piper lied about his age and joined the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
. Piper 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 ...
where he was on the
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
team. He graduated in 1903 with honors with a degree in business and mechanical engineering.


Military and aviation career

In 1929, he became the original investor in the
Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...
for $400 ($5,647 in 2017 dollars), led then by aircraft designer and aviation entrepreneur Clarence Gilbert Taylor. A year later, during the onset of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, the company went bankrupt and Piper bought its assets and reorganized it into the Taylor Aircraft Corporation, keeping Gilbert Taylor on as president. During this period, he sought to manufacture reliable and affordable
light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a Maximum Takeoff Weight, maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are use ...
. In 1937, two years after Piper bought out Gilbert Taylor from the company due in part to contentious clashes between the two, he established the
Piper Aircraft Corporation Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...
and, by 1940, it dominated the light aircraft market. At the time, a
Piper Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is P ...
and flying lessons cost $1,325 ($19,808 in 2017 dollars). The Piper Cub (which derives from the
Taylor Cub The Taylor Cub was originally designed by C. Gilbert Taylor as a small, light and simple utility aircraft, evolved from the Taylor Chummy. It is the forefather of the popular Piper J-3 Cub, and total production of the Cub series was 23,512 a ...
) would go on to become the most-produced fabric-covered monoplane in history, with over 20,000 units delivered from 1938 to 1947. Its simplicity, affordability and popularity often invokes comparisons to the
Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...
. In 1963, Piper supported Betty Miller (pilot), Betty Miller's successful attempt to be the first female pilot to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean, during which she delivered a twin-engine Piper aircraft from Oakland, California, USA to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.


Death and legacy

Piper died in his home in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, Lock Haven due to natural causes on January 15, 1970. Just prior to his death, in 1968, Piper's son, William Piper, Jr., took over the company and was appointed president. In 1970, Piper Jr. was also named chairman by the board, and in 1973, Piper Aircraft was sold, moving from Pennsylvania to where it is located today, Vero Beach, Florida. In 1980, William Piper was posthumously 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 ...
. In 1993, Piper was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The William T. Piper Memorial Airport in
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Lock Haven is a city in, and the county seat of, Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven Micropolitan ...
is named in his honor. Ever since 2009, the William T. Piper Scholarship has been awarded nationally to high school students looking to pursue a career within aviation.


In popular culture

Piper's appearances in literature, film and theater:


Literature

* ''Mr. Piper and His Cubs'' () published in 1996 discusses Piper's founding of Piper Aircraft as well as the design, development and production of the
Piper Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is P ...
. * ''Piper Cub Tales'' () published in 2012. * ''Flight of Passage'' () * ''Those Legendary Piper Cubs: Their Role In War And Peace'' () talks about Piper's involvement in the Cub program and how the aircraft was instrumental in war in the air.


Film

* ''How It's Made'', (TV Series) season 26, episode 14 shows how Piper Aircraft build planes, with Piper's legacy discussed. * ''The Amazing Piper'' (Documentary) * ''Light Aircraft in America'' (Documentary)


References


External links


William Piper biography in the Army Aviation Association of AmericaPiper in the NASM's Pioneers of Flight Gallery


{{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, William T. 1881 births 1970 deaths American aviation businesspeople American aviation pioneers Harvard University alumni National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees United States Army officers Piper Aircraft, Inc. People from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania