who was arthur j schmitt?
Engineer, Inventor, Entrepreneur, Visionary, Philanthropist
Born in 1893 in Chicago, Arthur began inventing as a teen-ager flying a plane he built in his parent's garage, not long after the Wright Brothers had launched their first successful flight. Planes, cars, radios, and electronics were Arthur's passions. His curiosity, ingenuity, business acumen, and vision led him to create his own company that evolved into Amphenol, now a multi-billion dollar, publicly-traded global manufacturer of electrical, electronic and fiber optic interconnect products employing over 150,000 people worldwide.
In 1943, in response to WWII, Arthur founded a technology institute (The Fournier Institute of Technology) believing that skilled, innovative engineers who also developed leadership skills rooted in character, integrity, and morality could combat the evils of the War. Over time, the Fournier Institute morphed into a Foundation that has supported 1000's of students, providing tuition scholarships and leadership programing across multiple universities and education organizations. Although the Fournier Institute no longer exists, Arthur's Foundation maintains a commitment to Arthur's philosophy of supporting education that teaches and inspire future leaders to change the world for good.
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"Thoughtful people everywhere are seeking solutions to the problems...which will be the task of this generation and perhaps several generations to come...I believe that the basic solution rests in sound industrial leadership predicated on ability, knowledge and a sense of moral values...while all men are born free and equal, the solutions to man-made problems depend on knowledge, character and enlightened leadership." Arthur J Schmitt, 1943
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