20 Facts About Willis Carrier

Willis Haviland Carrier was an American engineer, best known for inventing modern air conditioning.

Willis Haviland Carrier was born on November 26,1876, in Angola, New York, the son of Duane Williams Carrier and Elizabeth R Haviland.

Willis Carrier graduated from Angola Academy in 1894 and from the Buffalo High School in 1897.

Willis Carrier studied at Cornell University starting in 1897 and graduated in 1901 with a Master of Engineering degree.

Willis Carrier eventually settled on Frelinghuysen Avenue in Newark, New Jersey.

Willis Carrier spread out over four cities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania until Carrier consolidated and moved his company to Syracuse, New York, in 1937.

Willis Carrier became one of the largest employers in central New York.

Willis Carrier's igloo-shaped pavilion in the 1939 New York World's Fair gave visitors a glimpse into the future of air conditioning, but before it became popular, World War II began.

At the time of his death, Willis Carrier was a trustee of Cornell University.

In 1930, Willis Carrier started Toyo Willis Carrier and Samsung Applications in Japan and Korea.

The Willis Carrier Corporation pioneered the design and manufacture of refrigeration machines to cool large spaces.

Willis Carrier became a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation in 1980, and remained so until 2020, when it was spun off again as an independent publicly traded company.

The Willis Carrier Corporation remains a world leader in commercial and residential HVAC and refrigeration.

In 2018, the Willis Carrier Corporation had sales of $18.6 billion and employed 53,000 people.

Willis Carrier met Edith Claire Seymour at Cornell and they married on August 29,1902.

Willis Carrier married Jennie Tifft Martin on April 16,1913.

Willis Carrier married Elizabeth Marsh Wise of Terre Haute, Indiana on February 7,1941.

Willis Carrier adopted another two children from Jennie Martin, Vernon Gardner Carrier and Earl Gardner Carrier.

Willis Carrier died on October 7,1950, at Cornell Medical Center.

Willis Carrier was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.