Arthur LaRue Parker (November 16, 1885 – January 1, 1945) was an American businessman and inventor, known for founding Parker Hannifin Corporation (then known as Parker Appliance Company).

Early life and education

Parker was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from

Case School of Applied Science The Case School of Engineering is the engineering school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It traces its roots to the 1880 founding of the Case School of Applied Science. It became the Case Institute of Technology in 1947 ...

in 1907, present day Case Western Reserve University, with a degree in electrical engineering. As both a student and alumnus, Art strongly supported the Case's athletic programs, being a season ticket holder for both football and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and a member of the ''Case Athletic Association'' for many years.

Career

In 1908, Parker filed his first patent, a mechanism that regulated the speed of a generator to create a constant output of electricity. Throughout his entire career, he filed 160 additional patents. The primary patent giving Parker his entrepreneurial beginnings was filed in 1914 for his pneumatic braking system. On March 13, 1917, Parker Appliance Company was founded, referencing the office address of ''1115 Schofield Bldg'' of the Schofield Building in Downtown Cleveland. His first production facility was located at 2420 Superior Viaduct in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. Parker Appliance Company Parker Hannifin Cleveland 1920s Arthur Art Parker

Parker Appliance Company Parker Hannifin Cleveland 1920s Arthur Art Parker

Early struggles caused him to have to stop and start the business. In 1924 the business was closed and reopened at the address of 10320 Berea Rd in Cleveland. In 1927, having invented and patented a tubing fitting that would not leak under high pressure, Parker convinced young aviator

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

, who was preparing to attempt a non-stop New York-to-Paris flight, to use Parker products in the fuel system of his plane, the

Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlant ...

. Lindbergh's successful flight resulted in a major boost in Parker's business fortunes. In 1935, Parker relocated the company into the much larger building at 17325 Euclid Ave in Cleveland. By then, Parker's products had gained widespread acceptance in aircraft, marine and industrial applications and the future of his business was assured.

Death

Parker died of a heart attack on January 1, 1945, and was interred at

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...

in Cleveland.

Legacy

After Parker's death, his widow, Helen Parker, put all of her $1 million life insurance policy payment back into the company, saving it from insolvency, to continue Art's life work to what would become the Fortune 500 company Parker Hannifin Corporation.

References

External links

* 1885 births 1945 deaths American company founders History of Cleveland Businesspeople from Cleveland Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland Case Western Reserve University alumni 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-stub