Paul A. Sperry
| Paul Alling Sperry | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | December 4, 1895 New Haven, CT |
| Died | November 7, 1982 New Haven, CT |
| Residence | Paris, France |
| Education | Dartmouth College |
| Known for | Inventing the first boat shoe in 1935 |
| Title | Founder of Sperry Top-Sider |
| Parent(s) |
Sereno Clark Sperry Nettie Alling Sperry |
Sereno Clark Sperry
Paul Alling Sperry (December 4, 1895 – November 7, 1982) was an American inventor, businessman, photographer, screen printer, sailor and outdoorsman. He designed the first boat shoe and founded Sperry (formerly Sperry Top-Sider), a sportswear company now headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Paul Alling Sperry born in New Haven, Connecticut, the second of three sons born to Nettie Alling Sperry and Sereno Clark Sperry. His younger brother, Armstrong Wells Sperry, was a writer and illustrator of children’s literature, best known for his 1941 Newbery Medal-winning book, Call It Courage. Sperry’s father was a native of New Haven who served in leadership positions for several companies in the area, including the William Wells Company, the United States Finishing Company and the Pond Lily Company. His grandfather, William Wallace Sperry was a shipbuilder and served as a sergeant major in the 13th Connecticut Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War.
Sperry spent his early childhood in Stamford, Connecticut, and New York City. Accompanied by their mother, he and his brother Armstrong briefly attended school in Paris, France. Sperry received additional schooling at the Taft School in Connecticut. He spent a single freshman year at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
Sperry worked as a salesman and in the master mechanics office of the United States Finishing Company of New York before joining the naval reserve in 1917. He served as Office Aid for Information, Section 1, 3rd Naval District, USNRF, and was released from duty as Seaman, First Class at the end of the year. Sperry married Pauline Letitia Jacques on December 30, 1922. They shared a love of the outdoors, sailing and traveling. The Sperrys spent their honeymoon on Chincoteague Island, Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay, hunting ducks in separate duck blinds.
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