Robert Ingersoll Ingalls Sr. (October 27, 1882 – July 12, 1951) was an American businessman and philanthropist.
Early life Ingalls was born in Huntsville, Ohio, on October 27, 1882, the son of Flora (née Bimel) and Horace Putnam Ingalls. He attended Ohio Normal (now Ohio Northern) University. He married the former Ellen Ely Gregg on April 14, 1909.
Career He founded Ingalls Iron Works in Titusville, Birmingham, Alabama, in 1910.Business & Finance: Family Feud, Time, October 06, 1952 He also established Ingalls Shipbuilding in 1938.Northrop Grumman proposes shipyard name change, WLOX, November 24, 2010]Biloxi Historical Society They became the largest privately owned steel manufacturer in the Southern United States and the largest shipyard in the Gulf Coast of the United States. In 1937, he started a shipyard in Decatur, Alabama.University of South Alabama picture To accommodate the growing needs of the Second World War, it was moved to Birmingham, Alabama, then to Chickasaw, Alabama, and finally in Pascagoula, Mississippi. By the time of his death, his company was worth US$40 million.
Philanthropy He established the Ingalls Foundation in 1943.philanthropist Barbara Ingalls Shook dies at 69, The Birmingham News, September 27, 2008 Among other causes, since 1965, it has funded the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Death and family He died on July 12, 1951, in Birmingham.
His son Robert Ingersoll Ingalls Jr. (1906–1968) inherited 90% of the company.Ezra Bowen, , Sports Illustrated, May 06, 1957 He sold Ingalls Industries to Litton Industries in 1961, which was ultimately purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001. He was also a yachtsman, who owned the yacht Rhonda III.
His granddaughter, Barbara Ingalls Shook (1939-2008), was a philanthropist at the helm of the Ingalls Foundation.Barbara Ingalls Shook, Aspen Times, October 1, 2008
Legacy The Robert I. Ingalls Sr. Hall on the campus of Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, is named in his honor.Samford University: Robert I. Ingalls Sr. HallGoogle MapWilliam Nunnelley, Samford To Mark Completion of $5.3 Million Ingalls Hall, Russell Hall Reconstruction Project, 2004-05-18 It was built in 1957, and it is home to the McWhorter School of Pharmacy.
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