Robert Ingersoll Ingalls Sr. (October 27, 1882 – July 12, 1951) was an American businessman and philanthropist.

Early life

Ingalls was born in Huntsville, Ohio, on October 27, 1882, the son of Flora ( née Bimel) and Horace Putnam Ingalls. He attended Ohio Normal (now Ohio Northern) University. ^[1] He married the former Ellen Ely Gregg on April 14, 1909. ^{[2] [3]}

Career

He founded Ingalls Iron Works in Titusville, Birmingham, Alabama, in 1910. ^{[4] [5]} He also established Ingalls Shipbuilding in 1938. ^{[4] [6] [7]} They became the largest privately owned steel manufacturer in the Southern United States and the largest shipyard in the Gulf Coast of the United States. ^[4] In 1937, he started a shipyard in Decatur, Alabama. ^{[5] [8]} To accommodate the growing needs of the Second World War, it was moved to Birmingham, Alabama, then to Chickasaw, Alabama, and finally in Pascagoula, Mississippi. ^[5] By the time of his death, his company was worth US$40 million. ^[4]

Philanthropy

He established the Ingalls Foundation in 1943. ^[9] Among other causes, since 1965, it has funded the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. ^[10]

Death and family

He died on July 12, 1951, in Birmingham. ^[11]

His son Robert Ingersoll Ingalls Jr. (1906–1968) inherited 90% of the company. ^{[7] [12]} He sold Ingalls Industries to Litton Industries in 1961, which was ultimately purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001. ^[5] He was also a yachtsman, who owned the yacht Rhonda III. ^[12]

His granddaughter, Barbara Ingalls Shook (1939-2008), was a philanthropist at the helm of the Ingalls Foundation. ^{[9] [13]}

Legacy

The Robert I. Ingalls Sr. Hall on the campus of Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, is named in his honor. ^{[14] [15] [16]} It was built in 1957, and it is home to the McWhorter School of Pharmacy. ^{[14] [16]}

References