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George Conrad Westervelt

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George Conrad Westervelt
Cmdr. G. C. Westervelt
BornDecember 30, 1879
Corpus Christi, Texas, US
DiedMarch 15, 1956(1956-03-15) (aged 76)
Florida, US
Burial placeArlington National Cemetery
EducationTexas Military Institute, San Antonio, Texas, now TMI Episcopal School of Texas; United States Naval Academy
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
United States Naval Academy
Occupation(s)naval engineering, aircraft executive, corporate troubleshooter
Known forAircraft industry
TitleCo-Founder of Boeing Company
Spouse
Rieta Brabham Langhorne
​
​
(m. 1927; died 1956)​
Children2
Military career
Nickname(s)Scrappy
AllegianceUnited States United States
Service / branchUnited States Navy Seal United States Navy
Years of service1901–1927
1942–1943
Rank Captain
CommandsNaval Aircraft Factory
Battles / warsWorld War I
World War II

George Conrad Westervelt (December 30, 1879 – March 15, 1956) was a U.S. Navy engineer who created the company "Pacific Aero Products Co." together with William Boeing.[1] Westervelt left the company in 1916 and Boeing changed the name of the company to the Boeing Airplane Company the following year.

Early life

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George Conrad Westervelt was born in Corpus Christi, Texas to GW Westervelt and Ida Florence DeRyee (DuRy) Westervelt. He attended Corpus Christi Grammar School and Texas Military Institute, San Antonio, Texas.[2]

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Westervelt was a 1901 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a 1908 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in naval architecture and marine engineering.[3][4] Until 1916 Westervelt was stationed on the west coast of the United States. In 1916 he was transferred to the east coast and headed the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia from 1921 to 1927.[5] Westervelt retired from the USN with the rank of Captain.[6]

Aviation career

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During his naval career, Westervelt was also involved in naval aviation. Westervelt became friends with Boeing and worked with him on seaplanes, co-designing the Boeing Model 1, and co-founded what would become The Boeing Company. He left Pacific Aero Products after 1916 after being transferred to the east coast by the USN. Westervelt was assigned by the Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair to work with Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company on the Curtiss NC float plane[7][5] and later became vice-president with Curtiss-Wright following his retirement from the USN.[8] From 1930 to 1931 Westervelt went to China to help out with the China National Aviation Corporation.[citation needed]

During World War II, Westervelt was called back to active duty in April 1942 to manage military aircraft production by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation until Henry J. Kaiser took over in 1943.[9][10]

Personal life

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Westervelt was married to Rieta Brabham Langhorne of Lynchburg, Virginia, on December 20, 1927, and had two daughters, Sally Cary and Effie Eda.[11] He retired from Curtiss-Wright and became chairman of the board of the Kentucky River Coal Corporation. Westervelt died in 1956 in Florida, where he had a winter home at Jupiter Island and a ranch near Stuart, Florida.[3][10]

Westervelt is buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Aviation and aircraft journal, Volume 10, Gardner, Moffat Co., 1921, p. 432.
  2. ^ a b HistoryLink.org – Encyclopedia of Washington State History
  3. ^ Westervelt, George Conrad (1908). Fuel oil tests on a forge furnace (Thesis). Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  4. ^ a b Wings for an Embattled China, W. Langhorne Bond, James E. Ellis, via Google Books
  5. ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Bureau of Naval Personnel. January 1, 1949. p. 607. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  6. ^ "The NC-4 Flying Boat". Aerial Age Weekly. June 2, 1919. p. 579. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  7. ^ George Conrad Westervelt, Vice-President of Curtiss-Wright
  8. ^ "Not One Bomber Delivered, Navy Seizes Brewster Plant". The Washington Post. April 22, 1942. p. 9. ProQuest 151462984. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  9. ^ a b "G.C. Westervelt, Aviation Pioneer: Retired Navy Captain Who Designed First Craft to Fly Atlantic Is Dead" (PDF). The New York Times. March 16, 1956. p. 23. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  10. ^ A Guide to the Papers of George Conrad Westervelt, 1936–1948
  11. ^ Together We Served
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