Claire Egtvedt

Clairmont L. "Claire" Egtvedt (October 18, 1892 – October 19, 1975) was an airplane designer and president and chairman of the Boeing Company. He played a key role in shaping modern aviation during his time at Boeing.

Along with Ed Wells, Egtvedt is considered to be the father of the Boeing B-17 bomber. He served as chief engineer on many important airplanes, including the B-1 mailplane, Boeing Model 15, Boeing Model 21 pursuit airplanes, and the Boeing Model 40 airliner-mailplane.

Even after moving into executive roles, Egtvedt remained heavily involved in the design of planes such as the Boeing Model 80, XB-15, and B-17 models. As president and later chairman of Boeing, he oversaw the development of many famous aircraft, including the B-47, B-52, 707, 727, 737, and 747.

Flight Global ranked Egtvedt second behind William McPherson Allen as the most impactful leader in Boeing's history. His work helped build the company into one of the world's leading airplane manufacturers.

Biography

Claire Egtvedt was born in 1892 near Stoughton, Wisconsin. He grew up in a close-knit community and later moved to Seattle, Washington, where he began his career at Boeing right after college in 1917. Claire quickly became a key leader at the company, rising to become chief engineer by the early 1920s.

During tough times for the airplane industry, Claire convinced Boeing's founder to keep designing new planes instead of giving up. His efforts led to many successful airplane models, including fighters and commercial planes. He helped shape important planes like the B-17 bomber and the Boeing 307 Stratoliner. Claire became chairman of Boeing in 1935 and led the company until 1966, overseeing the development of famous planes such as the B-29, B-47, B-52, and the first jet airliners like the 707. He passed away at his home in Seattle in 1975.