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| Vincent Hugo Bendix | |
|---|---|
 Vincent Hugo Bendix |
|
| Personal information | |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth date | December 12, 1881 |
| Birth place | Moline, Illinois |
| Date of death | March 27, 1945 |
| Place of death | New York City |
| Work | |
| Significant projects | Bendix Corporation |
Vincent Hugo Bendix (December 12, 1881 – March 27, 1945) was an American inventor and industrialist. Vincent Bendix was a pioneer and leader in both the automotive and aviation industries during the 1920s and 1930s.[1]
Contents |
Background
Vincent Hugo Bendix was born in Moline, Illinois. He was eldest of three children born to Methodist Clergyman, Reverend Jann Bengston, a native of Amaland, Sweden, who was married to a Swedish farm girl whose maiden name was Anna Danielson. While in Moline the family name was changed to "Bendix". They later moved to Chicago, Illinois.[2]
Career
He founded the Bendix Corporation of Chicago in 1907 to manufacture automobiles, called Bendix Buggies. After producing 7000 vehicles the company failed two years later, but in 1910, Bendix invented and patented the Bendix drive, a gear that could engage an engine at zero rotational speed and then (through the aid of a solenoid that moved the shaft on which the gear was mounted) pull back and disengage automatically at higher speed (nominally the engine's running speed). This drive made the electric starter practical for automobile engines and later for engines in aircraft and other motorized vehicles.[3]
In 1923, Bendix founded the Bendix Brake Company. He started the Bendix Aviation Corporation in 1929, and founded the Transcontinental Bendix Air Race in 1931. In 1942, Bendix started Bendix Helicopters, Inc. Bendix Aviation and Bendix Brake would later be renamed Bendix Corporation.[4]
Honors
- 1929 - Knight of the Order of the Polar Star from King Gustav V.
- 1931 - President of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
- 1936 - Knight of the French Legion of Honor.
- 1984 - Induced into the Automotive Hall of Fame[5]
- 1991 - Induced into the National Aviation Hall of Fame[6]
See also
References
- ^ Bendix, Vincent(Vincent Hugo) (Biology Dictionary)
- ^ Vincent Bendix and Bendix Corporation (Bendix Radio Foundation)
- ^ The Bendix Story(from materials submitted by Rita F. Adrian)
- ^ Vincent Hugo Bendix ( American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) [1]
- ^ Vincent Bendix. 1882 - 1945 (The Automotive Hall of Fame)
- ^ Vincent Bendix. Enshrined 1991( National Aviation Hall of Fame, Inc.) [2]
Additional Reading
- Cunningham, Mary, with Fran Schumer, Powerplay: What Really Happened at Bendix (Linden Press/Simon and Schuster, 1984)
- Garraty, John A., and Mark C. Carnes, American National Biography (Oxford University Press, 1999)
- Hallett, Anthony and Diane Hallett Entrepreneur magazine encyclopedia of entrepreneurs (Wiley. October 24, 1997)
External links
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