A coin toss determined that the name of William Redington Hewlett would precede that of David Packard when they established their partnership on January 1, 1939. This decision formalized a collaboration that transformed electrical engineering, beginning with the production of audio oscillators later utilized by Disney for the film Fantasia.
Academic Foundation
Born in 1913 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Hewlett moved to San Francisco in 1916 after his father, Albion Walter Hewlett, accepted a position at Stanford Medical School. He graduated from Stanford University in 1934 before earning a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936. In 1939, he returned to Stanford to complete his post-masters engineering degree. During his undergraduate years, he studied under Fred Terman and joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
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Hewlett served as a Signal Corps Officer in the Army during World War II, later managing the electronics section of the War Department Special Staff and participating in an inspection team for Japanese industry. At Hewlett-Packard, he held the presidency from 1964 to 1977 and served as CEO between 1968 and 1978. Throughout his tenure, he prioritized The HP Way, a corporate culture centered on employee respect alongside commercial success. He also held board positions at Hexcel Products Incorporated, Chase Manhattan Bank, and the Chrysler Corporation.
Philanthropy and Later Years
In 1966, Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson, whom he married in 1939, established the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. As one of the largest private foundations in the United States, it served as a primary vehicle for his widespread charitable contributions to universities, museums, and non-profit organizations. Following Flora's death in 1977, he married Rosemary Kopmeier Bradford in 1978. Hewlett was an avid outdoorsman and botanist, documenting wildflowers through photography.
Fast facts
- Born: 1913, Ann Arbor
- Died: 2001, Palo Alto
- Education: Stanford University, MIT
- Key Award: National Medal of Science (1983)
- Marriage: Flora Lamson (1939), Rosemary Kopmeier Bradford (1978)
- Military Service: Signal Corps Officer, World War II
- Burial: Los Gatos Memorial Park
- Company Co-founder: Hewlett-Packard
Questions readers ask
How did the Hewlett-Packard company name order originate?
The order of the names was decided by a coin toss in 1937.
Did Hewlett influence Steve Jobs?
Yes, Hewlett offered a young Steve Jobs a summer job at HP after Jobs called him to request parts for a frequency counter.
Achievements
- National Medal of Science — 1983
- National Inventors Hall of Fame — 1992
- Educated at Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Worked as entrepreneur, engineer and computer scientist
