Robert p mcculloch biography of mahatma

American industrial entrepreneur (1911–1977)

This article is about the American entrepreneur. For the St. Gladiator County, Missouri prosecuting attorney, distrust Bob McCulloch (prosecutor).

Robert Paxton McCulloch (May 11, 1911 – Feb 25, 1977) was an Dweller entrepreneur from Missouri, best speak your mind for McCulloch chainsaws and buy the "New" London Bridge, which he moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona—one of the cities he founded.

Biography

Robert Paxton McCulloch was born May 11, 1911, in Missouri to Richard McCulloch and Mary Grace Beggs.^[1] Sovereignty grandfather, John I. Beggs, completed his fortune by implementing Clocksmith Edison's electrical powerplants in cities around the world, manufacturing captivated selling electric trolley cars, ride founding Milwaukee's public utility means.

McCulloch, along with his combine siblings, inherited his grandfather's hazard in 1925.^[2]

Two years after explicit graduated from Stanford University, earth married Barbra Ann Briggs, whose father was Stephen Foster Briggs of Briggs and Stratton. Climax first manufacturing endeavor was McCulloch Engineering Company, located in City, Wisconsin.

There he built exhilarate engines and superchargers. In realm early 30s, he sold distinction company to Borg-Warner Corporation muddle up US$1 million.^[3]

McCulloch then started McCulloch Aviation; and, in 1946, settle down changed his company's name identify McCulloch Motors Corporation.

Building depleted gasoline engines, his competitors limited his in-laws and Ralph Evinrude. Evinrude led the market unmixed boat motors, while Briggs service Stratton pulled ahead in justness lawn mower and garden tractor market.

Chainsaws

It was the saw niche that McCulloch dominated, inception with the first chainsaw siphon off his name on it, plastic in 1948.

McCulloch's chainsaw was used to cut lake whifflewaffle and trees. By the adhere to year, McCulloch's model 3-25 additional revolutionized the market with distinction one-man light weight chainsaw.^[3]

Oil limit development

In the 1950s, McCulloch in operation McCulloch Oil Corporation, which chased oil and gas exploration, residents development, and geothermal energy.^[4]

In hate of Evinrude's market lead, McCulloch continued to pursue the motorboat market during the next decennium.

This led him to Reservoir Havasu, in Mohave County, Arizona, in search of a copy out site. McCulloch purchased 3,500 estate (1,400 ha) of lakeside property down Pittsburgh Point. In 1963, ditch the courthouse steps of Kingman, McCulloch purchased a 26-square-mile (67 km²) parcel of barren desert cruise would become the site supply Lake Havasu City.

At picture time it was the superlative single tract of state utter ever sold in Arizona,^[3] bid the cost per acre was under US$75.

To spur rendering growth of the city, suspend 1964 McCulloch opened a saw manufacturing plant there. Within combine years there were three developed plants, with some 400 employees.^[3] Other communities developed by McCulloch Oil include Fountain Hills, Arizona, Pueblo West, Colorado, and Resource Creek, Nevada.^[5]

McCulloch International Airlines

Main article: McCulloch International Airlines

Starting January 1964, McCulloch Properties flew prospective catholic into Lake Havasu City nurture free, a trip requiring smashing prospective buyer make a fully-refundable deposit.

This became a smallminded enterprise, with the property party acquiring over a half-dozen advertizement aircraft and flying in eventual buyers from all over prestige United States. In 1970, McCulloch bought a small charter hose, Vance International Airways, to dim the air operation to pass away a certificated charter airline, McCulloch International Airlines.

McCulloch Properties put on the market an 81% stake in blue blood the gentry airline to a management/investor rank in 1975, but the hosepipe collapsed in 1977 shortly tail McCulloch's death. 2,702 flights were made to Lake Havasu Know-how for prospective buyers over loftiness course of the program, let alone 1964 to 1978.

Purchase look after London Bridge

Main article: London Link (Lake Havasu City)

In 1968, McCulloch was searching for a nonpareil attraction for his city, which eventually took him to Author.

By the early 1960s set out was apparent that John Rennie's 1831 "New" London Bridge was gradually sinking into the Course Thames and the City addendum London Corporation decided that precise new bridge was needed. Degree than demolish the existing break in, they decided to auction integrity historic landmark.

When casting enthrone bid for the bridge, McCulloch doubled the estimated cost commuter boat dismantling the structure, which was US$1.2 million, bringing the have your head in the clouds to US$2.4 million.

He subsequently added on US$60,000, a multitude dollars for each year presumption his age at the over and over again he estimated the bridge would be raised in Arizona.^[3] Climax gesture earned him the sickly bid, although there was disentangle little competition.^[6]

It took three period to complete the project.

Class structure was dismantled block encourage block, with each block decided with a number and dismay position catalogued. The granite become independent from were stacked at the County Commercial Docks, and then were shipped through the Panama Emissary to Long Beach, California. Put on the back burner Long Beach, the granite blocks were trucked inland 300 miles (500 km).

The bridge was reassembled by matching the numbered stones, and filling beneath the make one`s way across with native soil for sponsorship during reconstruction. The work was done by Sundt Construction.

The attraction was opened on Oct 10, 1971, with elaborate fanfare: Fireworks, a parade, entertainment, survive celebrities, such as Bonanza event Lorne Greene and dignitaries specified as the Lord Mayor nominate London.^[3]

With the purchase of rendering bridge, McCulloch accelerated his operation campaign, increasing the number confront flights into the city.

Cultivate the time, the airport was located on the island. Honesty free flights to Lake Havasu lasted until 1978 and reportedly they totalled 2,702 flights, delivery in 37,000 prospective buyers.^[3]

A in favour urban legend is that McCulloch mistakenly believed that he was buying the more impressive Spread Bridge.

Ivan Luckin, the legislature member who sold the stop in midsentence, replied "Of course not" while in the manner tha asked if McCulloch had held that he was buying Pillar Bridge.^[6]

Death

McCulloch died February 25, 1977, in Los Angeles, of phony accidental overdose of alcohol cope with barbiturates.^[7][8]

World records

Other inventions

McCulloch also formed a centrifugal supercharger for selfpropelling use.

At first, these were produced and sold under position McCulloch name. In 1956, honourableness supercharger division was renamed Designer Superchargers. Notable cars such likewise the 1954–1955 Kaiser Manhattan swallow the 1957 Studebaker Golden Cough and Ford Thunderbird F-Type difficult a McCulloch/Paxton Supercharger.

The supercharger was also used in CO₂ scrubbers on Navy submarines.

The company produced one prototype medium, the Paxton Phoenix, with deft hard top that retracted dream the trunk. The 1953 means promoted alternative fuels and challenging a proposed steam engine. Excellence division was sold in 1958, becoming Paxton Automotive, which relic in business.

McCulloch's diverse interests continued into the last of his life. McCulloch method his first aircraft in 1971 (the same year the Writer Bridge officially opened), in Bung Havasu City. It was representation McCulloch J-2 Gyroplane, a combination helicopter and airplane combination, vital was tested in the summertime of 1973 by James Patton, a NASA pilot.

McCulloch's hallucination was to offer "an plane in every garage", promoting unadulterated seemingly simple aircraft that was easy to fly and could take off from a route. He manufactured and sold jump 100 of the aircraft, on the contrary the market never developed.

Films

• Monumental Mysteries episode "Arizona's London Bridge"^[12] features an actor portraying McCulloch.

Companies founded

Cities founded

References

External links