1902

Born June 26 in Hannibal, Missouri.

In 1912 he listened to the radio account of the Titanic disaster and decided then and there on a career in electronics.

At the age of 13 he built his own battery charger and went into business charging batteries at 254 each.

At the age of 15 he graduated from eighth grade, quit school and left home. The following year he joined the Navy - lying about his age - and became a radio technician. After an early discharge he became the fastest Western Union operator in Chicago but left for a job without pay that offered possi­bilities of learning to fly. He was a grease monkey for the U.S. Air Mail, which used the Loop lakefront as a landing field.

1922-1924

President of Quincy Radio Laboratory; Quincy, Illinois.

1924-1928

President of Lear Radio Laboratory; Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1926-1930

Developed the Radio Coil and Wire Corp. and traded it to Paul Gavin for 1/3 interest in the Galvin Manufacturing Company; both of Chicago.

During this period he developed the first automobile radio. It put Motorola Corporation, formerly Galvin Manufacturing Company, into business.

1930

President of Lear Developments, later known as Lear, Inc. (now Lear-Siegler). Chairman of the Board of Lear, Inc. from 1949 to 1962 with headquarters in Santa Monica, California.

Lear, Inc. specialized in aerospace instruments, electronics, automatic con­trols and fluid handling devices. By 1962 it had 5,000 employees working at plants in California, Michigan, Ohio, and Germany and grossed $96-million a year.

1940

Awarded the Frank M. Hawks Memorial Award for the design of the Lear-o-Matic radio navigation system for airplanes.

1942

Married January 5 in Greenwich, Connecticut to Moya Marie Olsen, daughter of the late Ole Olsen of "Helzapoppin" fame.

1950

Awarded the Collier Trophy by the President of the United States for 'the greatest achievement in aviation in America during the previous year.'

This was for the design of the Lear F-5 automatic pilot and automatic approach control-coupler system for jet aircraft.

1951

The University of Michigan conferred on Mr. Lear the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering, "to give public expression to its (the University's) appreciation of the advances which your inventive genius have made possible in modern methods of communication and aviation."

1954

Received the Horatio Alger Award "for having pulled himself up to the top of his field by his bootstraps."

1960

Moved his family to Geneva, Switzerland, where -the concept of the Lear Jet was born. In Stockholm was presented Sweden's Thulin Medal for his contri­butions to the aircraft industry.

Also awarded the Great Silver Medal by the City of Paris for his aid in develop­ing the autopilot for the Caravelle jetliner. A long-time crusader for all-­weather flight, Mr. Lear is recognized as one of the principals whose efforts culminated in the completely automatic blind landings of a Caravelle airliner (using a Lear-designed autopilot), which made aviation history in 1962.

1962

Sold all interests in Lear, Inc. for $14,300,000 in order to produce a small business jet aircraft. Lear Jet was established at Wichita, Kansas and opera­tions began on Labor Day.

Also established Avionics Division in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a Stereo Division in Detroit where concept of eight-track stereo sound tape was first developed. It's world market now generates some $2-billion a year.

1963

Maiden flight of the Lear Jet on October 8.

The Lear Jet, a twin-engine, eight-place aircraft, has become the world's most successful business jet. It is the first production aircraft in the world that was financed and developed by a single individual. There are more than 300 in operation at this time.

1967

Lear Jet Industries sold to Gates Rubber Company of Denver, Colorado, for $28­million so that all efforts could be directed toward the research and develop­ment of low-pollution power systems to replace the internal combustion engines.

1968

Bought Stead Air Force Base at Reno, Nevada, for $1.3-million and established Lear Motors Corporation for research and development of low-pollution power systems.

Also established William Lear Enterprises, Titanium West Corporation (since sold to the Whittaker Corporation), Leareno Development Inc., and LearAvia Corp.

1969

Received the "Engineer of the Year" Award for 1969 and a commendation procla­mation from the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors.

Was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Science Award from Art Center College of Design for this same work.

1970

Elected an Honorary Fellow in American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

1972

Recipient of the Gold Plate Award by the National Academy of Achievement.

Awarded the Cresson Medal for contributions to aviation with his flight instruments and Jet aircraft by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia.

Received an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from the University of Nevada.

Received the Spirit of St. Louis Award by the city of St. Louis and St. Louis University for "pioneering achievement of significant benefit to mankind."

1972

Recipient of the Industrial Research 'Man of the Year' from the Industrial Research Magazine.

Selected speaker at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, for the Forrestal Speaker Series.

1973

Awarded the American of the Year Award for his contribution to ecology and his intensive research and development of low pollution power systems to replace the internal combustion engine.

1974

Recipient of the Janus Award for developmental work on navigational aids, especially in the field of aircraft instruments.

Was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Engineering from Notre Dame University.

1975

Recipient of an honorary Doctor of Science from Northrop University, Inglewood, California.

1976

Signed contract with Canadair (later became Bombardier) for building the Learstar 600 under license.

1976-1978

One of Lear's most innovative projects was his last - a revolutionary airplane called the Lear Fan. The fuselage of this plane was made of lightweight composite materials instead of the standard aluminum. It also featured an innovative "pusher" design, in which two aircraft engines powered a single spinning propeller blade that faced the rear of the aircraft.

The Lear Fan, though many years in development, was ultimately never completed. He begged his wife, Moya Lear, to finish it, and with the help of investors, she attempted to do so. But the plane never made it into production.

1978

March 1978 – diagnosed with Leukemia.

May 14, 1978 – deceased.