Charles Litton, Sr.

Charles Vincent Litton, Sr (1904–1972) was an engineer and inventor from the area now known as Silicon Valley.^[1]

Biography

Charles Vincent Litton was born, March 13, 1904, in San Francisco. His mother was Alice J. Vincent and father was Charles A. Litton.^[2] As a boy he experimented with radio technology at his parents' house in Redwood City, California.^[2]

Litton learned machining in the California School of Mechanical Arts of San Francisco, and then attended Stanford University where he graduated with an A.B. in mechanical engineering in 1924 and electrical engineering in 1925.^[1] In the 1920s, he experimented with new techniques and materials for building vacuum tubes. For example, he built the first practical glass blowing lathe. He worked for for Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1925 through 1927, but moved back to California in 1927. He went to work for the Federal Telegraph Company, and headed tube engineering there.^[3] Cecil Howard Green (later the founder of Texas Instruments) worked for Litton during that time.^[4] During the Great Depression, Federal was acquired and moved its facilities to New Jersey. Litton stayed in California. In 1932 he founded Litton Engineering Laboratories with his own savings, and continued to experiment in the shop on his parents' Redwood City property. He held 65 patents on various high-tech innovations.^[1] Some of these patents resulted in notable litigation.^[5] At Frederick Terman's request, Litton helped Stanford build a tube research lab, and recruit David Packard to it.^[6]

During World War II, Litton participated in the design and production of microwave tubes used in communications and radar equipment. In 1941 he formed a partnership called Industrial and Commercial Electronics with Philip Scofield and Ralph Shermund.^[3] He was awarded the Presidential Certificate of Merit for work he performed on behalf of the National Defense Resource Committee.^{[citation needed]} Russell and Sigurd Varian used Litton klystron tube-making equipment in their family firm, Varian Associates. Another firm (later called Eimac) founded by fellow amateur radio operators William Eitel and Jack McCullough used Litton technology.^[3]

After the war, Litton Industries was incorporated in 1947 to manufacture vacuum tubes and the machinery used to produce them. The company grew rapidly, soon rivaling established electronics firms in the east. On August 3, 1952, Litton split off the glass lathe products, which became the sole proprietorship Litton Engineering Laboratories on May 1, 1953. On November 4, 1953, he sold the vacuum tube manufacturing portion of the company to Electro Dynamics Corporation, which had been founded by Charles Bates "Tex" Thornton.^[7] In 1954 Electro Dynamics bought the rights to the name Litton Industries.^[5] It grew to be a multi-national conglomerate. Also in 1854, Litton moved the machinery manufacturing division into a new facility in Grass Valley, California. Litton convinced friend Dr. Donald Hare to move to Grass Valley, and Hare's company became the Grass Valley Group.^[8]

Litton died in November 1972 in Carson City, Nevada.^[9] His papers are in the collection of the The Bancroft Library.^[2] His sons Charles, Jr. and Larry carried on the business of producing glassworking lathes under the "Litton Engineering Laboratories" name in Grass Valley.^[10]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Engineering heroes". School of Engineering web site. Stanford University. 2010. http://soe.stanford.edu/visit/huang_center/heroes.html. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Guide to the Charles Vincent Litton papers, 1912-1972". Online Archive of California. Bancroft Library. http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf100001d1. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Christophe Lécuyer (2006). Making Silicon Valley: innovation and the growth of high tech, 1930-1970. MIT Press. pp. 14–15, 21–22, 28, 30. ISBN 9780262122818. http://books.google.com/books?id=5TgKinNy5p8C&pg=PA22. 
4. ^ Thomas Lee (April 6, 2009). "When Silicon Valley was "Arc Alley"". SLAC Colloquium Detail. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/colloquium/details.asp?EventID=255. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Alphonsus E. McCarthy, Jr., vs. Litton Industries, Inc.". Case 410 Mass. 15. 1991. http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/410/410mass15.html. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
6. ^ C. Stewart Gillmor (2004). Fred Terman at Stanford: building a discipline, a university, and Silicon Valley. pp. 119, 126, 156, 181. ISBN 9780804749145. http://books.google.com/books?id=JJKgq1YCkeAC&pg=PA119. 
7. ^ "Steele v. Superior Court". Court case 56 Cal.2d 402. http://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/steele-v-superior-court-27070. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
8. ^ James E. O'Neal (November 15, 2006). "Grass Valley: From the Movies to the Movies". TV Technology. http://hdnews.tvtechnology.com/pages/s.0042/t.471.html. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
9. ^ "Milestones". Time magazine. November 27, 1972. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944564,00.html. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
10. ^ "About Litton Products". Official website. Litton Engineering Laboratories. http://www.littonengr.com/About_Litton_Products.cfm. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 

External links

• Charles Litton Sr. on Littoncorp website

Persondata
Name	Litton, Charles Vincent, Sr.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 13, 1904
Place of birth	San Francisco
Date of death	1972
Place of death	Nevada