Edgar Prince

Edgar Dale Prince (May 3, 1931 – March 2, 1995) was an American engineer and businessman who founded the Prince Corporation,[1][2] now owned by Johnson Controls.

Edgar Prince
Born
Edgar Dale Prince

(1931-05-03)May 3, 1931
Holland, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMarch 2, 1995(1995-03-02) (aged 63)
Holland, Michigan, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationMichigan Technological University (BS)
OccupationEngineer, businessman
Spouse(s)Elsa Zwiep
Children4, including Betsy DeVos and Erik Prince

Early life

Edgar Dale Prince was born on May 3, 1931, in Holland, Michigan, the son of Edith (née De Weert) and Peter Prince.[3] His father died of a stroke when Edgar was 11.

Career

Prince started his career at a company manufacturing die-cast machines in Holland, Michigan. He quit that job in order to start his own manufacturing business with the help of two co-workers. The venture proved very successful, and by the 1970s, he was a leading manufacturer of die-cast machines in Michigan. The Prince Corporation also operated a successful diversification into auto parts by developing sun visors and other interior systems for car manufacturers. After a long period of sustained growth, the company employed thousands in the early 1990s at numerous plants.

Ownership in the business made Prince one of the wealthiest men in Michigan. He co-founded the Family Research Council, a fundamentalist Protestant activist organization.[4] He also supported constructive civic projects such as the renovation and preservation of downtown Holland. He and his wife are credited by the town with having saved the historic Tower Clock building from demolition.[5]

Prince died in 1995 of a heart attack.[6] Despite the CEO saying that the company would remain family owned,[6] his company was sold the following year for $1.35 billion and is now a unit of Johnson Controls.[7]

Personal life

Prince was married to Elsa Zwiep and together they had four children: Elizabeth, the Trump administration's former Secretary of Education; former Blackwater (now Academi) CEO Erik; Eileen (Ellens); and Emilie (Wierda).

Death

He died on March 2, 1995, in Holland, Michigan.

References
  1. Scahill, Jeremy (2008). Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Arm. Nation Books. ASIN B0097CYTYA.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Prince, Erik (2014). Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror. Portfolio. ISBN 978-1591847458.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. "Edgar Dale Prince (1931-1995) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com.
  4. Marshall, John (May 5, 2007). "Prince's politics". The Hill. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  5. "Our History". Holland, Michigan. Archived from the original on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  6. "Prince Corp. Chief Edgar Prince Dies". Plastic News. March 13, 1995. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  7. "Another Deal In Auto Parts Consolidation". New York Times. July 19, 1996. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
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