Why is the company Called Pratt & Whitney?
GEtting started with a little help from a family friend
When Fred Rentschler was ready to start his business, he reached out to a family friend, James Cullen, the President of Niles-Bement-Pond Company, the parent of the Pratt & Whitney Company. The Pratt & Whitney Company had manufacturing space available and was looking for investment opportunities.
Rentschler negotiated with the Pratt & Whitney Company and got started with a loan of $250,000, manufacturing space on Capitol Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Pratt & Whitney name.
Who Were Pratt & Whitney?
Francis Pratt & Amos Whitney
Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney founded their machining company in 1860. With their background with Colt and the Civil War getting underway, the early years of the company were spent producing guns and gun-making machinery. The Pratt & Whitney Company went on to produce everything from telescopes and measurement tools. The company still exists today at Pratt & Whitney Precision Measurement, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut.