Alonzo G. Decker Jr.
American businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alonzo G. Decker Jr., also known as Al Decker, or A. G. Decker (1908 – 18 March 2002) was an American businessperson and engineer who served as the chairman of the board of Black & Decker.[1] He is known for developing power tools for use in the home, including the first cordless electric drill, which helped create the do it yourself market.[2][3][4][5]
Biography
Alonzo G. Decker Jr. was born in Maryland to Alonzo G. Decker Sr., co-founder of Black & Decker.[6][7] He spent his early life in Towson, Maryland and graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Cornell University in electrical engineering.[8]
He started his career with Black & Decker at the age of 14.[9] Later, after his graduation, he became a member of the export department of Black & Decker.[10] He continued to work with Black & Decker until Depression when he lost his job.[11] After losing his job, for a brief period, he sold soap flakes before rejoining Black & Decker as a floor sweeper.[12]
In 1933, he became a research and manufacturing engineer at Black & Decker.[13]
Throughout his life he was an active philanthropist.[14][15]
