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Edward A. Deeds—Timeline
William G. Ritchie
April 12, 2009
1874 Edward Andrew Deeds born in Granville, Ohio
1897 Graduates from Denison University as valedictorian (class of 20 students)
1898 Joins Thresher Company in Dayton
1899 Joins NCR as Factory Engineer
1902 Leaves NCR to build the “Palace of Light” Shredded Wheat plant in Niagara Falls
1903 Returns to NCR as Assistant General Manager
1904 Deeds hires Charles Kettering from Ohio State University
1908 Kettering begins working in Deeds barn on ignition systems; Barn Gang is formed
1909 Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO) incorporated /Kettering leaves NCR
1912 DELCO sells the self-starter sold to Cadillac
1913, March Dayton Flood
1913, May Deeds chairs Flood Prevention Committee, Arthur Morgan hired
1914 Ohio Conservancy Act Passed
1914 Deeds and Kettering found the Engineers Club
1915 Deeds resigns from NCR to run DELCO full time
1916 Deeds and Kettering sell DELCO to United Motors for $9 million
1916 Deeds and Kettering incorporate Domestic Engineering Company (home lighting)
1916 Deeds and Kettering purchase the land that becomes McCook Field
1916 Deeds and Kettering incorporate Dayton Research Laboratories
1917 Helps to found Dayton Wright Airplane Company
1917 Conservancy District, leases Huffman Prairie to the Army (Wilbur Wright Field)
1917 Joins United States Army as Colonel and Chief of Aircraft production, resigns from DELCO
1918 Legal appeals closed; Miami Conservancy project construction begins
1922 Reorganizes 100 Cuban sugar farms into General Sugar Company
1923 Miami Conservancy project construction completed
1925 Becomes Chairman of Board of Niles Bement Pond (parent of Pratt & Whitney)
1928 Acquires the first private luxury airplane, Kingbird, a 10-passenger Ford Tri-Motor
1929 Builds 200-foot yacht, Lotosland, for more than $1 million
1931 Returns to NCR as President
1938 Becomes a Director of National City Bank in New York
1942 Deeds Carillon Tower is built
1957 Retires from NCR
1960 Dies at the age of 86 and is buried at Woodland Cemetery