7 William P. Lear 7for automobiles, and the miniature automatic pilot for
aircraft.
The child of immigrant parents and a broken home,
Lear said that at the age of 12 he had worked out a blue-
print of his life, based upon profiting by inventing what
people wanted. He held some 150 patents at his death.
After completing eighth grade, Lear quit school to
become a mechanic and at the age of 16 joined the navy,
lying about his age. During World War I, Lear studied
radio and after his discharge designed the first practicable
auto radio. Failing to secure the financial backing to pro-
duce the radio himself, Lear sold the radio to the Motorola
Company in 1924.
In 1934 he designed a universal radio amplifier (i.e.,
one that would work with any radio.) The Radio
Corporation of America purchased the plans, giving Lear
the capital he needed to expand his operations. He founded
the Lear Avia Corporation in 1934 to make radio and
navigational devices for aircraft. In 1939 he founded
Lear, Inc. By 1939 more than half the private airplanes in
the United States were using Lear radio and navigational
equipment. In World War II, the company manufactured
cowl-flap motors and other precision devices for Allied
aircraft. After World War II, Lear, Inc., introduced a new,
miniaturized autopilot that could be used on small fighter
aircraft.
Between 1950 and 1962 the sales of Lear, Inc., rose to
$90,000,000. New plants were added in the Midwest
and on both coasts, and the company embarked on the
manufacture of stereophonic sound systems and miniature
communications satellites. Lear himself wanted to expand
into low-priced, small jet aircraft for businessmen. When
his board of directors would not approve the expenditure,
Lear sold his share of the company and formed Lear Jet,