Charles Kettering Totally Explained

Everything about Charles Kettering totally explained

Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 24 or November 25, 1958) was born in Loudonville, Ohio, USA the fourth of five children of Jacob Kettering and Martha Hunter Kettering. He was a farmer, school teacher, mechanic, engineer, scientist, inventor and social philosopher.

Early life

He had poor eyesight, but acquired an electrical engineering degree from Ohio State University in 1904. While attending Ohio State University he joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity.

Career

Kettering was a researcher first for National Cash Register, and then for the U.S. automotive industry, founding the Dayton Engineering Laboratories company with Edward A. Deeds and Harold E. Talbott. Delco was eventually sold to General Motors, where it became the foundation for the General Motors Research Corporation and Delco Electronics. Kettering became vice president of General Motors Research Corporation in 1920. He held the position as head of research for General Motors for 27 years.
   With Henry Leland, he developed a self-starter for the Cadillac which won a Dewar Trophy as a result in 1913.
   He was heavily involved in the research for a lightweight diesel engine. This research was instrumental in the development of diesel locomotives, the first of which was a 600 h.p. unit that powered the "Pioneer Zephyr" for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. In an interview about this research, he was asked if the development of this type of engine presented any unusual problems. His classic response was, "Let it suffice to say that I don't recall having any trouble with the 'dipstick'".
   Kettering and Deeds had a lifelong business, professional and personal relationship. In 1914, recognizing that Dayton was among the leading industrial cities in the United States due to the various highly-skilled engineers and technicians working in the city, they founded the Engineers Club of Dayton. After his death, his body lay in honor at the Engineers Club prior to interment in the mausoleum at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.

Accomplishments

Kettering held more than 300 U.S. patents. He invented the all-electric starting, ignition, and lighting system for automobiles. Electric starters replaced crank (manual) starting of automobiles. First incorporated in the 1912 Cadillac, all-electric starting aided in the growth of the U.S. auto industry by expanding the pool of those who could realistically start (and thus drive) an automobile. Other patents included a portable lighting system, Freon, a World War I "aerial torpedo," a treatment for venereal disease, and an incubator for premature infants. His engine-driven generator was combined with storage batteries to form a "Delco Plant", providing an electrical lighting system for farmhouses and other locations remote to the grid.
He developed the idea of Duco paint and ethyl gasoline. He helped develop diesel engines and ways to harness solar energy. He was a pioneer in the application of magnetism to medical diagnostic techniques.
His inventions, especially that of the automobile starter, made him very wealthy. 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.

Personal life

Kettering married Olive Williams of Ashland, Ohio, in 1905, and their only child, Eugene Williams Kettering, was born on April 20, 1908.
He built a home, Ridgeleigh Terrace, in 1914. According to local sources, this house was the first home in the United States to have electric air conditioning. Ridgeleigh Terrace was the home of his son Eugene Kettering until his death. Eugene's wife, Virginia Kettering, lived in the home for many years, restoring the home and redecorating it. In 1994, the home was seriously damaged in a fire, but Virginia Kettering, then in her 80s restored it. She continued to live there until she moved to a suite in the nearby Charles F. Kettering hospital when in her 90s.

Memorials

In 1998, GMI Engineering and Management Institute (formerly General Motors Institute), of Flint, Michigan, changed its name to Kettering University in honor of Kettering. His ideals, prowess, and belief in co-operative education continue there. Kettering is also remembered through the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a combined cancer research and treatment center in New York City, and through the Kettering Health Network, which includes several hospitals and medical center campuses as well as the Kettering College of Medical Arts in Kettering, Ohio.
The city of Kettering, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, was named after him when it was incorporated in 1955.
Two U.S. public schools are named after him:

Charles F. Kettering Sr. High School in Detroit, Michigan
Charles F. Kettering Elementary School in Ypsilanti, Michigan

Patents

Engine Starting Device, Filing date: Jun 15, 1911Further Information

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