L. A. Wilson
Leroy August Wilson (February 21, 1901 – June 28, 1951) was an American telecommunications executive who served as president of the American Telephone & Telegraph from 1948 until his death in 1951.
Early life and education
[edit]Wilson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on February 21 1901.[1][2] The only child of modest means, he financed his studies at Rose Polytechnic Institute (now Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) by delivering newspapers, shovelling ore, laying railroad track, and playing semi-professional baseball.[1][2][3] He earned a civil engineering degree in 1922 and was one of the first two graduates of the institute's new Army ROTC program to receive a commission in the Engineer Reserve Corps.[4]
Career
[edit]Wilson joined Indiana Bell as a clerk immediately after graduation, working night shifts that acquainted him with every department of the company.[5] By 1929, he had moved to AT&T headquarters in New York, becoming general commercial engineer in 1942 and a vice president two years later.[5]
Elected president of AT&T on February 17 1948, Wilson inherited a company whose wartime debt load threatened its bond rating.[5] He launched rate-case campaigns and cost-control programs that began restoring the Bell System's finances and accelerated long-distance network modernisation. He is credited with securing more than $1 billion in new capital at a time when the market was tight, enabling AT&T's largest expansion to date.[5]
In May 1949, President Harry S. Truman asked Wilson to have the Bell System assume management of Sandia Laboratory to support the nation's atomic programme. Wilson agreed on a "no-profit, no-fee" basis, formally accepting the contract on 1 July 1949. Truman's letter praising AT&T's "exceptional service in the national interest" later inspired Sandia’s enduring motto.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b TIME (1948-03-01). "Career Man". TIME. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ a b Engels, Henry C. (1951-06-29). "LEROY WILSON DIES; A.T. & T. PRESIDENT; Rose From Ranks in the Bell System to Become Head of Parent Concern at 47 ENTERED INDUSTRY IN 1922 Started as Traffic Student for Indiana Telephone Company --Leader in Fraternities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Alumni Impact | Rose-Hulman". www.rose-hulman.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Army ROTC – Academics | Rose-Hulman". www.rose-hulman.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ a b c d TIME (1948-03-01). "Career Man". TIME. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Exceptional service in the national interest". LabNews. Retrieved 2025-05-29.