Uncas A. Whitaker

Uncas A. Whitaker
U. A. Whitaker
Born(1900-03-22)March 22, 1900
DiedSeptember 1975(1975-09-00) (aged 75)
Occupation(s)Mechanical engineer
Chemical engineer
lawyer
entrepreneur
philanthropist

Uncas Aeneas Whitaker (March 22, 1900 – September 1975)[1] was a prominent mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, lawyer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Raised in Missouri, he received a mechanical engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an electrical engineering degree from Carnegie Institute of Technology and a law degree from the Cleveland Law School.[2] At the age of 41, he founded Aircraft Marine Products (AMP), in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which would become the world's largest manufacturer of electrical devices and connectors.[3] His company was instrumental in the development of miniature components and advanced computer technologies which have been incorporated into thousands of business operations and commercial products.[2]

When Whitaker died in 1975, he left part of his fortune for a foundation to improve people's lives primarily by supporting Biomedical engineering research and education. Money provided for the Whitaker Foundation by Whitaker and his wife, Helen Whitaker, totaled $120 million. In 1994, the foundation was the sixty-first largest foundation in the United States with assets of $340 million and annual expenditures of $26 million.

During his lifetime, Whitaker also created a philanthropic program to improve the quality of life in the Harrisburg area, AMP's home community. Today the Harrisburg-area Regional Program continues this initiative.[4]

U.A. Whitaker Building on the main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology

Notable things named after U. A. Whitaker include:

  1. ^ Anthony Hallett, Diane Hallett, Entrepreneur Magazine Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs, 1997: John Wiley and Sons, pp. 286-287 (ISBN 0471175366)
  2. ^ a b "20th Century Great American Business Leaders". Harvard Business School. 2004. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  3. ^ "AMP Incorporated History". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b "About the Whitaker Foundation" (Press release). Whitaker Foundation 1998 Annual Report. 1999. Retrieved 2007-01-05.