Notable people · Inventor · Business Founder · Aviation
Warren G. Grimes
Warren Grimes designed the first colored navigation lights for aircraft and founded Grimes Manufacturing in Urbana. He later served as mayor of Urbana and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010.
At a glance
- Born
- 1898
- Died
- 1975
- Known as
- Inventor, Business Founder, Aviation
- Organizations
- Grimes Manufacturing Company
Life story
Warren Grimes was born in 1898 in rural Montgomery County, Ohio. He left an orphanage in Tiffin at age 15 to live with his brother in Detroit.
In the mid-1920s Henry Ford asked him to design lighting for the Ford Tri-Motor airplane; one account says he finished the design within 48 hours. His navigation lights, red on the left wing, green on the right and white on the tail, became standard.
In the 1930s he moved to Urbana, founded Grimes Manufacturing Company, bought a farm and built an airstrip that became Grimes Field. During World War II the company made aircraft lighting for the military.
He later served as mayor of Urbana and chaired the Ohio Aviation Board. He died in 1975 and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010.
Timeline
- 1898: Born (Montgomery County, OH) source
- 1913: Leaves an orphanage in Tiffin for Detroit (Detroit, MI) source
- 1920: Designs Tri-Motor lighting for Henry Ford (mid-1920s) (Detroit, MI) source
- 1930: Moves to Urbana and founds Grimes Manufacturing (1930s) (Urbana, OH) source
- 1975: Dies source
- 2010: Inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame (Dayton, OH) source
What Warren is known for
- Designed red, green and white aircraft navigation lights
- Founded Grimes Manufacturing Company in Urbana in the 1930s
- Called the father of the aircraft lighting industry
- Aircraft navigation, landing, instrument and interior lights
Inventions and firsts
Honors and things named for them
- National Aviation Hall of Fame (2010)
- Called the Father of the Aircraft Lighting Industry
Family
- brother: Frank Grimes
Ohio places
Where Warren G. Grimes was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Lived: Urbana, Champaign County ZIP 43078 · Urbana · Champaign County
- Worked: Urbana, Champaign County ZIP 43078 · Urbana · Champaign County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Warren G. Grimes birth, orphanage, Ford lighting, Urbana company, mayor, Hall of Fame