William Loren Batt (July 31, 1885 – 1965) was an American mechanical engineer, and president

SKF AB SKF (Swedish: ''Svenska Kullagerfabriken''; 'Swedish Ball Bearing Factory') is a Swedish bearing and seal manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication and l ...

Industries, Inc., awarded the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

in 1923, the

Henry Laurence Gantt Medal The Henry Laurence Gantt Medal was established in 1929 by the American Management Association and the Management section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for "distinguished achievement in management and service to the community" in h ...

in 1940,''Electrical Engineering,'' Vol. 60, 1941. p. 308 and the

Hoover Medal The Hoover Medal is an American engineering prize. It has been given since 1930 for "outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity". The prize is given jointly by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Institute of Mi ...

in 1951.Hoover Medal Board of Award.
William Loren Batt, thirteenth Hoover medalist
'' New York, 1951.

Biography

Batt was born in

Salem, Indiana Salem is a city in and the county seat of Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana, Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana, Washington County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,319 at the 2010 United States Census ...

in 1885 to George M. and Hettie M. Batt. His father was a roundhouse foreman by the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railroad, who kept moving for his job to New Albany, Indiana and finally to LaFayette. Batt received regular education in those places, a got acquainted with the machinist's trade in the railway's shops during vacations. He obtained his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering at the engineering school of

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

in 1907. After engineering school Batt started as assistant in the private consulting practice of W.F. M. Goss, Dean of Engineering department. When Goss moved to the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

, Batt started as engineer in the Hess-Bright Manufacturing Company to do research into

ball bearings A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

in 1907. After three years of laboratory work, he coordinated the application of his findings in various fields. He was put in charge of the Railway Department a few years, was sales engineer in the Cleveland area, and in 1917 got promoted to general manager of the company. William L

In 1918 the company got bought by the Swedish

and merged into SKF Industries, Inc., where Batt was appointed vice-president, and in 1922 president of the company. In 1923 he was awarded the

Gustaf V of Sweden Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxem ...

. In the tear 1936 Batt was president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and in 1940 he was awarded the

by the

American Management Association The American Management Association (AMA) is an American non-profit educational membership organization for the promotion of management, based in New York City. Besides its headquarters there, it has local head offices throughout the world. It ...

and the ASME. During World War II Batt made a significant contribution to the management and planning of war production. He was made vice president of the

War Production Board The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Su ...

in joined the

Combined Munitions Assignments Board The Combined Munitions Assignments Board was a major government agency for the U.S. and Britain in World War II. With Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt's top advisor in charge, it took control of the allocation of war supplies and Lend lease aid to the Al ...

in 1943 as member. For these efforts he was awarded the

in 1951.

Publications

* William Loren Batt, ''The new deal: a people's capitalism.'' Business house, 1944. ;Publications about William Loren Batt * Hoover Medal Board of Award.
William Loren Batt, thirteenth Hoover medalist
'' New York, 1951.

References

External links

William L. Batt
at gracesguide.co.uk * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheney, Horace B. 1880s births 1964 deaths American mechanical engineers 20th-century American businesspeople People from Washington County, Indiana Henry Laurence Gantt Medal recipients Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers