Co-founder with David Packard of the Hewlett-Packard Company.  He was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and moved to San Francisco at the age of three.  William graduated from Lowell High School and received a bachelor’s degree in 1934 from Stanford University.  In 1935 he earned a MS degree in EECS from MIT and in 1939 the degree of Electrical Engineer from Stanford.  He met David Packard while an undergrad at Stanford and together they formed HP on January 1, 1939.  Famously begun out of a garage with $538 in what would eventually be termed Silicon Valley, the company would go on to be respected world-wide. The companies first product was an audio oscillator used for testing sound equipment. The company’s first famous customer was the Disney company who purchased a number of HP oscillators in 1940 for use with the movie Fantasia. He served in World War II, heading the electronics section of the New Development Division of the War Department Special Staff.  William served as President of HP from 1964 to 1977 and as CEO from 1968 to 1978.  In 1966 he and his wife formed the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. (bio by: Tom  Rose)  Family links:  Spouses:  Flora Lamson Hewlett (1914 – 1977)*  Rosemary Kopmeier Hewlett (1919 – 2010)* *Calculated relationship