Robert E. Gross (businessman)
A tenacious aviation executive who built Lockheed into a defense giant, shaping the skies of World War II and the Cold War.
1897–1961 (age 64)·American businessman·Birthday: May 11·The Lost Generation
Biography
Robert E. Gross didn't invent airplanes, but he knew how to make them matter. After an early venture building flying boats collapsed in the Depression, he and a group of investors scraped together $40,000 to buy the struggling Lockheed Aircraft Company in 1932. His sharp business sense and willingness to bet on brilliant engineers like Kelly Johnson transformed the small outfit. Under Gross, Lockheed delivered the Hudson bomber to the British and then produced the legendary P-38 Lightning, a fast, twin-engine fighter that became a workhorse of the Allied air forces. Post-war, he steered the company into the jet age, overseeing the development of the F-104 Starfighter and the U-2 spy plane, cementing Lockheed's role as a cornerstone of American aerospace.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Robert was born in 1897, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Robert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1897
Robert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1897Born
President: William McKinley
1902Started school
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Became a teenager
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could drive
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1915Could vote
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Turned 21
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 30
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 40
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 50
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 60
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1961Died at 64
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
Key Achievements
- Led the investor group that purchased and resurrected the Lockheed Aircraft Company in 1932.
- Oversaw the production of the P-38 Lightning, a critical and innovative fighter aircraft of World War II.
- Guided Lockheed's post-war transition, leading to groundbreaking projects like the U-2 reconnaissance plane.
- Served as President and later Chairman of Lockheed Corporation for nearly three decades.
Did You Know?
He is credited with suggesting the name 'Airacobra' for Bell Aircraft's P-39 fighter.
His first aviation company, Viking Flying Boat Company, failed during the Great Depression.
He was a champion of engineer Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson, giving him the freedom to create the famed Skunk Works division.
“A good airplane is the one the Air Force buys.”
