Notable people · Business · Inventor
Paul W. Litchfield
Boston-born MIT chemical engineer who rose to president and chairman of Goodyear in Akron. He led Goodyear's airship program, including the Navy's USS Akron and USS Macon.
At a glance
- Born
- 1875-07-26
- Died
- 1959-03-18
- Education
- MIT, Cambridge, MA, to 1896, chemical engineering
- Known as
- Business, Inventor
- Organizations
- Goodyear
Life story
Paul Litchfield was born in Boston in 1875, the son of Charles and Julia Litchfield, and graduated from MIT in 1896 in chemical engineering.
In 1903 he met his future wife, Florence, in Akron, and they married there on June 23, 1904. He pushed for an aeronautics department at Goodyear in 1910, became vice president in 1924 and chairman and first CEO in 1930. In 1943 he set up a research and development department that produced aircraft innovations.
His Arizona land operations (the Southwest Cotton Company) led to the founding of Litchfield Park, Arizona, and the city of Goodyear, Arizona. He died in Phoenix on March 18, 1959. Akron remembers him with a statue at Goodyear headquarters.
Timeline
- 1875-07-26: Born (Boston, MA) source
- 1896: Graduates MIT in chemical engineering (Cambridge, MA) source
- 1899: Designs pneumatic wheels for New York buses (New York, NY) source
- 1903: Meets Florence, his future wife (Akron, OH) source
- 1904-06-23: Marries Florence (Akron, OH) source
- 1910: Advocates Goodyear aeronautics department (Akron, OH) source
- 1924: Becomes Goodyear vice president (Akron, OH) source
- 1930: Named chairman and first CEO (Akron, OH) source
- 1943: Establishes R&D department (Akron, OH) source
- 1959-03-18: Dies (Phoenix, AZ) source
What Paul is known for
- Led Goodyear as president and chairman; established aeronautics department 1910
- Goodyear under his direction produced the first practical airplane tire and first pneumatic truck tire
- Founded Goodyear, Arizona and Litchfield Park
- Goodyear aeronautics department
- Litchfield Park, Arizona
Honors and things named for them
- Silver Beaver Award, 1931
- Silver Antelope Award, 1944
- Silver Buffalo Award, 1945
- Litchfield Road named for him
- Paul Weeks Litchfield Middle School, Akron (demolished 2013)
Family
- wife: Florence Litchfield
- daughter: Katherine
- daughter: Edith
Places in Ohio to see
- Goodyear headquarters (Litchfield statue) (statue)
Akron, Summit County ZIP 44308 (approximate) · Akron · Summit County
Ohio places
Where Paul W. Litchfield was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Akron, Summit County ZIP 44308 · Akron · Summit County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Paul W. Litchfield (Wikipedia) birth Boston, death Phoenix, MIT 1896, Goodyear roles, airships