Frederick C. Crawford

Who was Frederick C. Crawford?

Frederick Coolidge Crawford was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was also the president of Thompson Products, Inc. and a major promoter of the National Air Races in Cleveland.

Crawford was born in Watertown, Massachusetts and went to Harvard College graduating magna cum laude for his B.A., and in 1916, earned his Masters of Engineering. Soon after he moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he worked as a millwright's assistant. During World War II, Thompson Products and Crawford did their patriotic duty by manufacturing auto and aviation components critical to the allied war effort. In 1957 he was awarded the Franklin Institute's Vermilye Medal. In 1993 he was elected to the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He had previously been elected to the Business Hall of Fame and the Automotive Hall of Fame.

He was recognized worldwide for his leadership in the automotive and aviation industries, as a pioneer in the human relations field, and a leader in the philanthropic community in Cleveland, Ohio.