Uncas A. Whitaker

Uncas A. Whitaker

Uncas Aeneas Whitaker (March 22, 1900 in Lincoln, Kansas September 1975 in Maine)[1] was raised in Missouri. He was a prominent mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, lawyer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He received a mechanical engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an electrical engineering degree from Carnegie Institute of Technology and a law degree from the Cleveland Law School.[2] At the age of 41, he founded Aircraft-Marine Products, AMP Incorporated, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which would become the world's largest manufacturer of electrical devices and connectors.[3] His company was instrumental in the development of miniature components and advanced computer technologies which have been incorporated into literally thousands of business operations and commercial products.[2]

When Whitaker died in 1975, he left part of his fortune for a foundation to improve people's lives primarily by supporting Biomedical engineering research and education. Money provided for the Whitaker Foundation by Whitaker and his wife, Helen Whitaker, totaled $120 million. In 1994, the foundation was the sixty-first largest foundation in the United States with assets of $340 million and annual expenditures of $26 million.

During his lifetime, Whitaker also created a philanthropic program to improve the quality of life in the Harrisburg area, AMP's home community. Today the Harrisburg-area Regional Program continues this initiative.[4]

Notable things named after U. A. Whitaker include:

See also

References

  1. Anthony Hallett, Diane Hallett, Entrepreneur Magazine Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs, 1997: John Wiley and Sons, pp. 286-287 (ISBN 0471175366)
  2. 1 2 "20th Century Great American Business Leaders". Harvard Business School. 2004. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  3. "AMP Incorporated History". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "About the Whitaker Foundation" (Press release). Whitaker Foundation 1998 Annual Report. 1999. Retrieved 2007-01-05.

External links

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