Frederick C. Crawford

Frederick Coolidge Crawford (March 19, 1891 – December 9, 1994) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was also the president of Thompson Products, Inc. (which later became part of TRW) 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

He was recognized worldwide for his leadership in the automotive and aviation industries, as a pioneer in the human relations field (who kept management–labor strife to a minimum at Thompson and TRW by providing effective channels for worker grievances and collective bargaining), and a leader in the philanthropic community in Cleveland, Ohio. As head of Thompson Products for more than 25 years, Crawford oversaw the company's transformation from an automotive and aircraft parts manufacturer to a leader in the aviation and aerospace industries.^[3]

For many years, Crawford collected antique automobiles. His original motivation was simply that he saw historical value in saving certain early examples that, before the 1950s, were generally not valued by anyone except at their scrap value. The collection became known as the "Auto Album". The collection was housed by TRW before being donated to the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum of the Western Reserve Historical Society.

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