Ed Acker

Charles Edward Acker (born April 7, 1929) is an American businessman who served as CEO of Braniff Airways, Air Florida, and Pan American World Airways. He is currently a principal at Intrepid Equity Group.

Mr. Acker was born in Dallas, Texas, on April 7, 1929 His father was a railroad worker and farmer but his mother was vice president of one of the largest architectural firms in Dallas, Texas. She served as National President of Women In Construction. Acker has stated that they never tried to influence his career path or decisions. He skipped second and eighth grades and attended North Texas State University during his Freshman year where he played basketball. Acker is 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighs 215 lbs. He transferred to and graduated from Southern Methodist University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Psychology.

After graduation he went to work as a management trainee at U.S. Tire and Rubber, Co. where he was employed for two and a half years eventually being elevated to District Sales Manager. Not wanting to be a tire salesman, he then took a position as a broker in Dallas with former SMU classmates who had formed a brokering firm. Acker was a broker for three years when investment counseling firm Lionel D. Edie, asked Acker to open a Dallas, Texas office. Mr. Acker was with Lionel D. Edie for seven years supervising sales and counseling. He then accepted a position as Chief Financial Officer of the Greatamerica Corporation, who was a Lionel D. Edie client, and led Greatamerica's takeover of Braniff International Airways and National Car Rental in 1964.

Acker traveled to Los Angeles, California in 1964 to discuss a possible merger between a revitalized Braniff under the administration of Greatamerica and Continental Airlines. Acker met with Continental's legendary founder and Chairman Robert Six to discuss the possible merger which would put both companies under the Greatamerica umbrella. It was here that Acker met Continental's dynamic Executive Vice President Harding Lawrence. During the ten years that Lawrence had been at Continental he presided over an unprecedented 500 percent growth of the airline. Lawrence was virtually running the entire airline as Six relinquished control of the airline to his trusted associate, Lawrence. Six was quoted as saying "the reason Continental merged with Pioneer Airlines of Houston, Texas, was to get Harding."

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