Lawrence A. Hyland
Born	August 26, 1897  Nova Scotia
Died	November 24, 1989  (aged 92)
Occupation	Engineer
Employer	Bendix Corporation (1932–1954) Hughes Aircraft Company (1954–1984) United States Naval Research Laboratory (1926–1932)
Awards	IEEE Founders Medal (1974)

Lawrence A. "Pat" Hyland (August 26, 1897 – November 24, 1989) was an Americanelectrical engineer. He is one of three individuals who are credited with major contributions to the invention ofradar, but is probably best known as the man who transformedHughes Aircraft fromHoward Hughes' aviation "hobby shop" into one of the world's leading technology companies.

Hyland was born inNova Scotia, Canada, but his family moved to the U.S. in 1899, where he was raised inMassachusetts. He served in theU.S. Army duringWorld War I, and then in theU.S. Navy until 1926. Hyland then joined theU.S. Naval Research Laboratory as a radio engineer. While at NRL he first demonstrated the reflection of radio waves from aircraft, and also made other contributions to the development ofdoppler radar.

In 1932 Hyland founded the Radio Research Company, which would later be merged into theBendix Corporation; he eventually became Vice President for Research and Engineering at Bendix.

In 1954 Hyland was hired as vice president and general manager ofHughes Aircraft; he would ultimately become company President and CEO after Howard Hughes' death in 1976. Under Hyland's guidance, Hughes Aircraft continued to diversify and become immensely profitable. Among other accomplishments, the company developed numerous radar systems, electro-optical systems, the first workinglaser, aircraft computer systems,missile systems,spacecraft, and many other advanced technologies. Hyland retired from active service in 1980, but he retained close contact with the company until his death.

During his lifetime Hyland frequently advised the U.S. government on science and technology. At various times he served as a senior consultant to thePresident's Science Advisory Committee, theAtomic Energy Commission, and theCentral Intelligence Agency; and he was a member of theDefense Industry Advisory Council.

Some of Hyland's honors and awards include:

• 1950 – Navy Distinguished Public Services Award for pioneering contributions to radar
• 1954 – Honorary Doctorate of Engineering,Lawrence Institute of Technology
• 1955 – Named a Fellow of theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• 1957 – IEEE Pioneer Award for Aeronautical and Navigation Electronics
• 1967 –Collier Trophy for theSurveyor 1 Moon landing
• 1967 – Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Gold Medal for Meritorious Service
• 1974 –IEEE Founders Medal for leadership and management in the field of electronics

Hyland'sautobiography,Call Me Pat: The Autobiography of the Man Howard Hughes Chose to Lead Hughes Aircraft, was published posthumously in 1994.

• David Leighton,The History of the Hughes Missile Plant in Tucson, 1947-1960, Private Publication, 2015
• Hyland, L. A. (1993).Call Me Pat: The Autobiography of the Man Howard Hughes Chose to Lead Hughes Aircraft. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning Company.

• Hyland biography on the Engineering and Technology History Wiki

• 1897 births
• 1989 deaths
• American electrical engineers
• Fellows of the IEEE
• Collier Trophy recipients
• Radar pioneers
• 20th-century American engineers
• 20th-century American inventors
• Bendix Corporation people
• Canadian emigrants to the United States
• People from Nova Scotia

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