Full Name: Mr. Juan Terry Trippe
Date of Birth: June 27, 1899
Place of Birth: New York, New York, USA
Died: April 3, 1981
Place of Death: New York, New York, USA
Classification: Builders & Titans
Known for building Pan American into an aeronautical empire, in the air, across the seas, and even in the board room, Juan Trippe stuck to his vision of taking regular people, not just the rich and famous, around the world. His direct involvement resulted in the upgrading of the mighty Boeing 707 to the massive 747 that could carry both cargo and more people than ever.
Juan Trippe grew up privileged and attended the Hill School and Yale University. After his third year at Yale, he became a pilot for the U.S. Navy, but he and his other student-pilots saw no battle and returned back to finish their studies. From that time on, Juan saw that the future of America was not contained within its borders, so he and other pioneers invested in small company after small company until they owned a fleet of their own aircraft. Soon after, he resigned his post and became general manager and CEO of Pan American Airways.
Trippe lobbied hard and set up what many considered a monopoly with overseas flight. He was awarded contract after contract with the U.S. government and had inside pull and connections that won him privileges in South America, Cuba, the Caribbean, and Asia. This dilemma of his trans-Atlantic dream can be seen in the movie The Aviator where Alec Baldwin plays Trippe alongside Leonardo DiCaprio who acts as Trippe’s nemesis, Howard Hughes.
Even during the Great Depression, Pan American fared well and continued its worldwide expansion. Tripped continued gaining rights to airport after airport and landing strip after landing strip. He also set up Panagra, which would route to Latin America. When his plans to work with the government to control all international flights failed, Trippe still had the upper hand. He was the first to order the newly released 747. It would take years for the government or other airways to be able to acquire their own. He began running tourist flights to Europe and allowed regular travelers to pay back their flights in installments. However, after several decades dominating the industry, Pan American could not keep up with international competition and the company was forced to declare bankruptcy in the early 1990s.
