Bill Hewlett
Co-founder of Hewlett-Packard in a Palo Alto garage
- Lived
- 87 yrs
- 1913 – 2001
- Works listed
- 1
- Instrument
- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 1995
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Bill Hewlett was an American engineer who co-founded Hewlett-Packard with David Packard in a Palo Alto garage in 1939. Their first product, an audio oscillator, was bought by Disney for Fantasia. HP grew into a giant in instruments, computers and printers, and its garage is called the “birthplace of Silicon Valley”.
Biography
Stanford
Hewlett studied electrical engineering at Stanford under Frederick Terman, who encouraged students to start companies nearby. He met David Packard there.
The garage
In 1939 they founded Hewlett-Packard at 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, tossing a coin to decide the name order. Hewlett’s resistance-capacitor audio oscillator, the HP 200A, was their first product; Walt Disney Studios bought eight for Fantasia.
Growing HP
After serving in the army during the war, Hewlett ran HP’s engineering and later served as president and CEO (1969–1978). HP made test instruments, calculators such as the HP-35, computers and printers.
HP Way and philanthropy
Hewlett and Packard’s “HP Way” emphasised trust in employees and management by walking around. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation became one of the largest US charities. He died in 2001.
Timeline
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1913
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
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1939
Founds HP with David Packard
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1957
HP goes public
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1966
Founds the Hewlett Foundation
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1969
President of HP
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1972
HP-35 calculator
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1978
Steps down as CEO
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2001
Dies
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2001
Died, aged 87
Notable works
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1939
HP 200A audio oscillator Instrument
Awards and honours
-
National Medal of Science
1983
-
Lemelson–MIT Prize
1995
Did you know?
-
1
The coin toss decided HP would not be called “Packard-Hewlett”.
-
2
The HP garage is a California historical landmark.
-
3
He asked engineers for a calculator that fitted in a shirt pocket — the HP-35.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Bill Hewlett?
Bill Hewlett was an American engineer who co-founded Hewlett-Packard with David Packard in a Palo Alto garage in 1939. Their first product, an audio oscillator, was bought by Disney for Fantasia. HP grew into a giant in instruments, computers and printers, and its garage is called the “birthplace of Silicon Valley”.
When did Bill Hewlett die?
Bill Hewlett died on 12 January 2001 at the age of 87.
Where is Bill Hewlett from?
Bill Hewlett was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States.
What is Bill Hewlett known for?
Bill Hewlett is best known for Co-founding HP (1939); audio oscillator; “HP Way”; Hewlett Foundation.
What awards has Bill Hewlett received?
Notable honours include National Medal of Science (1983), Lemelson–MIT Prize (1995).
References
- Bill Hewlett — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Bill Hewlett — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Bill Hewlett — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Bill Hewlett (Q380467) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Bill Hewlett”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Bill Hewlett.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/william-hewlett
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