Harry Franklin Vickers (October 1, 1898 – January 12, 1977) was an American inventor and industrialist. He grew up in Montana and southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He was called the "Father of Industrial Hydraulics" by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, who gave him the Society's highest award, the ASME Medal, in 1956.

Early life and influences

Vickers was always interested in machinery and mechanics and was a self-taught master machinist. He served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with the US Army Signal Corps, where he learned about the first generations of electronics and radio. Returning to southern California after the war, he founded Vickers Manufacturing Co., later to be called Vickers Inc.Flint, Peter B., "Harry F. Vickers, 78, of Sperry Rand, dies", ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', New York, 13 January 1977. Initially his company was principally engaged in general mechanical and machining work. The famous author and sportsman

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontie ...

once came to his shop to have a large salt water fishing reel repaired. Grey decided that the young Harry Vickers was a man with a future, and offered to arrange for him to be tutored in calculus and other engineering disciplines at night by professors from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

Inventions and business development

Vickers mechanical ability in combination with his electronic and engineering training formed the basis for his ability to invent, test and manufacture his early hydraulic innovations, which included the first hydraulic power steering system. He went on to invent numerous key components fundamental to the rapid growth of the fluid power industry, including his most famous innovation, the balanced vane pump. Vickers Inc. grew steadily, eventually moving its headquarters to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

to be closer to its major automotive and industrial customers.

Merger with Sperry Corporation

With the advent of the depression, Vickers approached

Frederick J. Fisher Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

(one of the Fisher Brothers of

Fisher Body Fisher Body was an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. A division of General Motors for many years, in 1984 it was dissolved to form other General Motors divisions. Fisher & Company (originally Allo ...

, the principal supplier of automobile bodies to

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

) to invest in his company to help it survive."PERSONNEL: Mechanic Makes Good
''

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

'', New York, 2 June 1952. They agreed that Vickers, Inc. would merge with the

Sperry Corporation Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the 20th century. Sperry ceased to exist in 1986 following a prolonged hostile takeover bid engineered by Burroughs ...

, (of which the Fisher Brothers had principal control) and operate as a subsidiary called Sperry Vickers, with Harry Vickers as president.

Role in World War II and post-war economy

As the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

approached, both Sperry Corp and Sperry Vickers became vital suppliers to the builders of virtually every type of weapon and support system, from aircraft and ships to tanks and transport equipment.Mindell, David A.; "Between Human and Machine — Feedback, Control, and Computing Before Cybernetics," Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, ©2002. At the end of World War II, Admiral

Harold Rainsford Stark Harold Rainsford Stark (November 12, 1880 – August 20, 1972) was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II, who served as the 8th Chief of Naval Operations from August 1, 1939 to March 26, 1942. Early life an ...

, who was Chief of Naval Operations at the start of the war, wrote that, in his view, Harry Vickers had done more than any other civilian to win the war. Vickers many contributions to his country and global industry placed him in the company of many of the greatest individuals of his era. He was a close friend of

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

, who was the Chairman of the Board of

Remington Rand Corporation Remington Rand was an early American business machine manufacturer, originally a typewriter manufacturer and in a later incarnation the manufacturer of the UNIVAC line of mainframe computers. Formed in 1927 following a merger, Remington Rand wa ...

when Sperry and Remington merged in the early 1950s, forming

Sperry Rand Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the 20th century. Sperry ceased to exist in 1986 following a prolonged hostile takeover bid engineered by Burroughs ...

. MacArthur continued in that role in the merged company."Time Clock, may 9, 1955"
''

'', New York, 9 May 1955.

Executive roles

Vickers later assumed the Chairman's role subsequent to MacArthur's retirement. He served as the last president of

between 1952 and 1955. He then served, in the successory title, as the first president of

Sperry Rand Corporation Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the 20th century. Sperry ceased to exist in 1986 following a prolonged hostile takeover bid engineered by Burroughs ...

from 1955 to 1965. He also, during this time, served as the first CEO of Sperry Rand Corporation between 1955 and 1967. He then served as chairman of Sperry Rand Corporation between 1965 and 1967. When he retired in 1967, he was Chairman, President and CEO of the 56th largest company in the United States.

Personal life

Vickers was an amateur radio operator, an active pilot, and an avid golfer, fisherman and hunter. He was married to the former Nell Wilhite, and they had two children: James (1924–1933) and Dawn (1927–1997).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vickers, Harry Franklin 1898 births 1977 deaths ASME Medal recipients People from Red Lodge, Montana 20th-century American engineers