Lear, William Sr.

Lear, William (Powell) Sr.

(1902–78) inventor, industrialist; born in Hannibal, Mo. Leaving home at age 16, he entered the navy and studied radio. He held over 150 patents on inventions such as the automatic pilot for planes, eight-track stereo cartridges, and the car radio. Until 1967 he was the owner of the Lear Jet Corporation, pioneers in the manufacturing of small corporate jets.