Charles Franklin Kettering (1876 - 1958)

Born 29 Aug 1876 in Loudonville, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Olive Leora (Williams) Kettering — married 1 Aug 1905 in Ashland, Ohio, United States

Died 25 Nov 1958 at age 82 in Kettering, Ohio, United States

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Biography

Charles Kettering is Notable.

Charles is the son of Jacob and Martha (Hunter) Kettering. He married Olive Williams, daughter of Alonzo H. and Minerva (Nelson) Williams, on 01 Aug 1905 at Ashland, Ohio. They had 1 child:

• Eugene

Charles Kettering was an engineer whose first job was heading the research lab at NCR. Here, he invented an easy credit approval system, a precursor to today's credit cards, and the electric cash register.

Kettering eventually branched out to car parts. He set up the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company where he invented his most significant engine devices. He invented the first electrical ignition system and the self-starter for automobile engines and the first practical engine-driven generator. Kettering's engine-driven generator, named the "Delco", provided electricity on millions of farms. In 1916, he sold his company to General Motors. With G.M. he set up and directed a central research laboratory and stayed for 31 years, until his retirement in 1947.

The Kettering "Bug"; an early drone

In 1945, he helped found what became the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, based on the premise that American industrial research techniques could be applied to cancer research.

On January 1, 1998, the former General Motors Institute changed its name to Kettering University to honor Kettering as a founder.

Sources

• Charles Kettering's Wikipedia Page
• Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003
• United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925
• United States Census, 1880
• United States Census, 1900
• Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013
• Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007
• Find A Grave