Elliot Marantette "Pete" Estes (January 7, 1916 – March 24, 1988) was an American automotive engineer and executive; he is best known as the fifteenth president of General Motors, from 1974 to 1981. He had previously been the Chief Engineer at Pontiac, President of Pontiac Division, and President of Chevrolet Division before becoming executive Vice President of General Motors in 1972.

Biography

He was born and grew up in

Mendon, Michigan Mendon is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 870 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Mendon Township. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total ...

. He is descended on his mother's side from Patrick Marantette and Francis Mouton, early settlers in 1830s Mendon who were from Detroit and of French ancestry. After school Estes worked in a creamery in

Constantine, Michigan Constantine is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,076 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Constantine Township. U.S. Highway 131 (Main Street in the village) leads to Kalamazoo to t ...

. At the suggestion of a cousin, he applied to the General Motors Institute (now

Kettering University Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...

), an engineering institute started in Flint, Michigan, that had a cooperative study program combining work experience in the automotive industry. There he worked with

Charles Kettering Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 25, 1958) sometimes known as Charles Fredrick Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents. For the list of patents issued to Kettering, see, Le ...

and later oversaw the successful introduction of the Oldsmobile Rocket V8 engine. Also he was credited with coining the name for the Chevrolet

Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...

. Following his tenure as an engineer at

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...

, Estes was appointed Chief Engineer at Pontiac in 1956 by Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen. After becoming President of the Pontiac Division in 1961, he oversaw a dramatic increase in sales. He became President of the Chevrolet Division in 1965, executive Vice President of General Motors in 1972, and served as President of GM from 1974 to his retirement from the company in 1981. Estes was inducted into the

Automotive Hall of Fame The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum. It was founded in 1939 and has over 800 worldwide honorees. It is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. the Automotive Hall of Fame includes persons who have contributed greatly to a ...

in 1999. After his retirement, Estes served as a director on the board of the

Kellogg Company The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...

. He died of a heart attack at

O'Hare Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busines ...

on March 24, 1988 while on his way to a board meeting.

References

External links

A Memorial Tribute by Robert A. Frosch. Original page unavailable but captured from Internet Archive Wayback MachineProfile at Kettering University (formerly GMI.) Original page unavailable but captured from Internet Archive Wayback Machine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estes, Pete 1916 births 1988 deaths People from Mendon, Michigan American automotive engineers General Motors former executives Kettering University faculty 20th-century American engineers