CHARLES F. KETTERING - COLLECTION WITH ALFRED P. SLOAN JR. - HFSID 266302

ALFRED P. SLOAN, JR. and CHARLES F. KETTERING
Pair of cards signed by GM executives Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. and Charles F. Kettering. You probably know them better as the men who gave their names to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Two items: (1) ALFRED P. SLOAN, JR. Signature: "Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.", 3½x2 card. Lightly soiled. Paper clip impression at lower left blank area. (2) CHARLES F. KETTERING. Signature: "C.F. Kettering", 5x3 card Tape stains at margins. With 1958 envelope. Soiled. Tape remnants along edges. Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. (1875-1966), a one-time electrical engineer who had helped General Motors recover from a stock crisis, was Chairman of the Board of GM. Sloan, who continued as Chief Executive Officer of GM until 1946, resigned from the chairmanship in 1956. He had attained his first presidency at the age of 24, when he took over Hyatt Roller Bearing Company, which had begun making ball bearings at his suggestion. The operation merged with United Motors Corporation in 1916, and two years later that firm (with Sloan at the helm) became part of General Motors Corporation. Sloan was first made Vice President of the newly formed corporation before becoming President of GM on May 10, 1923. After he retired at age 81, Sloan was named Honorary Chairman of the Board, a title he held until his death in February 1966. In addition to his administrative skills, Sloan is also remembered for his philanthropy, including the establishment of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 1934and, in 1945, of the Sloan-Kettering Institute (now Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) with fellow GM executive Charles F. Kettering. Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958) co-founded the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco) in 1909 and invented the automotive electric self-starter introduced in 1912 Cadillacs. He later served as Vice President and Director of Research for General Motors (1920-1947). The New York Cancer Hospital was founded in 1884 through the private philanthropy of individuals who were convinced of the need for a hospital devoted exclusively to cancer patients. In 1939, the New York Cancer Hospital expanded and became Memorial Hospital. Six years later, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. and Charles F. Kettering established the Sloan-Kettering Institute as a research center to conquer cancer. In 1960, Memorial Hospital and the Sloan-Kettering Institute were joined to become Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.