William McPherson Allen

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William McPherson Allen (1900 - 1985) was a U.S. aircraft businessman. Born in Montana, he attended the University of Montana, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He graduated from Harvard Law School, and joined the Board of Boeing Air Transport in 1930 while remaining an employee of his Seattle law firm, Donworth, Todd & Higgins. A year later he joined the Board of Boeing Airplane Company as corporate counsel.

Following the death of Boeing president Philip G. Johnson in 1944, Chairman Claire Egtvedt was tasked with appointing his replacement. Feeling that none of the company's senior enginners had a sufficiently broad background to run the company, he turned to Bill Allen. Allen served as the president of the Boeing Company from 1945 until 1970. He also served as the chairman of the Boeing Company between 1970 and 1972. While president of Boeing, numerous planes of renown today were launched, among them the Boeing 727, Boeing 737 and Boeing 747.

In the last years of his life, Allen suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He died in 1985 at the age of 85.

Allen is profiled in Sen. John McCain's and Mark Salter's book, Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them (Twelve Books, 2007).