William F. Ballhaus Sr. (1918 – August 16, 2013) was an engineer who worked in the field of aircraft and manufacturing.[1] He was educated at Stanford University and California Institute of Technology. He was employed at various posts in aircraft design and manufacture at Douglas, Convair, and Northrop (chief engineer).[1] In 1965, he was appointed president of Beckman Instruments, where he gradually converted the manufacturing focus from defense to medical instruments. Ballhaus had a keen interest in economics, particularly in the relationship between tax policy and growth, and played a role in the lowering of capital gains taxes by Congress in 1978.[1][2] He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1973 and, with the election of his son, William F. Ballhaus Jr., to the same institution, they became the first father-son members of NAE.[1]
William F. Ballhaus Sr. | |
|---|---|
 William Ballhaus, Sr. (standing) with Arnold O. Beckman of Beckman Instruments | |
| Born | 1918 |
| Died | August 16, 2015 (aged 96) |
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Aerospace engineering |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Aerodynamic and geometric parameters affecting aircraft weight (1947) |
References
editExternal links
edit- National Academy of Engineering member page
- William F. Ballhaus Prize at California Institute of Technology
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