Juan Terry Trippe (June 27, 1899 – April 3, 1981) was an American airline entrepreneur and pioneer, and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the world's most prominent airlines of the mid-twentieth century.
Trippe was born in Sea Bright, New Jersey, on June 27, 1899, the great-great-grandson of Lieutenant John Trippe, Captain of the USS Vixen. Although it is commonly believed Trippe was Cuban in whole or part, he was actually Norther...
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Juan Terry Trippe (June 27, 1899 – April 3, 1981) was an American airline entrepreneur and pioneer, and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the world's most prominent airlines of the mid-twentieth century.
Trippe was born in Sea Bright, New Jersey, on June 27, 1899, the great-great-grandson of Lieutenant John Trippe, Captain of the USS Vixen. Although it is commonly believed Trippe was Cuban in whole or part, he was actually Northern European in ancestry and his family settled in Maryland in 1664. He was named after his mother's Cuban stepfather. Trippe graduated from The Hill School in 1917, and then Yale University in 1921. While at Yale, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall and of Skull & Bones society.
After graduation from Yale, Trippe began working on Wall Street, but soon became bored. After receiving an inheritance he started working with New York Airways, an air-taxi service for the rich and powerful. Along with some wealthy friends from Yale, Trippe invested in...
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