Editing Textron (section)

===Early history===
[[File:Charlotte J Sternberg - Textron advertising - Ladies' Home Journal, 1948.jpg|thumb|Textron fabrics ad from 1948]]
Textron started as a textile company in 1923, when 27-year-old [[Royal Little]] founded the '''Special Yarns Corporation''' in [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. The company manufactured synthetic [[yarn]]s, a niche product at the time. By the start of [[World War II]], the company was known as '''Atlantic Rayon Corporation''' and manufactured [[parachute]]s. As war production wound down, the company started making civilian products as well and was renamed '''Textron''': "Tex" for "textiles" and "tron" from synthetics such as "Lustron". The company was listed on the [[New York Stock Exchange|NYSE]] in 1947.<ref name="textron.com1">{{cite web|url=http://www.textron.com/About/Company/History|title=History - Textron|work=textron.com|access-date=August 10, 2016}}</ref>

Royal Little began the process of turning Textron into a conglomerate in 1953, with the purchase of Burkart Manufacturing Company (upholstery filling for the automotive industry) in September 1953, followed by the purchase of Dalmo-Victor (airborne Radar Antennae)<ref>{{cite news |title=TEXTRON ACQUIRES UNIT; Gets All Stock of Dalmo Victor, Maker of Radar Antenna |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/01/12/archives/textron-acquires-unit-gets-all-stock-of-dalmo-victor-maker-of-radar.html |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=12 January 1954}}</ref> and MB Manufacturing Company in early 1954.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nyti.ms/2OdeolR|title=Textron Expands Into Non-Textiles; Buys MB Manufacturing Co., Aircraft Parts Maker, as 'Hedge on Depression' |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 5, 2018}}</ref> The push for diversification would see Textron purchase various other manufacturing companies. In 1960, the company also bought Bell Aerospace and E-Z-Go.<ref name="textron.com1" /> The textile division was sold to [[Milliken & Company|Deering Milliken]] in 1963.<ref>{{Cite news |issn=0362-4331 |last=Vartan |first=Vartanig G. |title=TEXTRON LEAVES TEXTILE BUSINESS; Sells Its Ameroton Division to Deering Milliken, Inc. Stock Eases by 1955 Mergers Recalled |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=September 8, 2016 |date=April 17, 1963 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E03E4DC1F31E63ABC4F52DFB2668388679EDE&legacy=true }}</ref>

Later CEOs included [[G. William Miller]] (1968–1977), Joseph Collinson (1977–1979) and Robert P. Straetz (1979–1986). In 1984, Textron took on more debt and bought [[Avco]], a conglomerate almost as big as itself. Later on, James Hardymon took over as CEO.<ref name="textron.com1" /> This $1.4 billion acquisition included the parent of [[Unum|Paul Revere Insurance Company]]<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[New York Times]]
   |title=Paul Revere Insurance Gets a New President
   |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/27/business/business-people-paul-revere-insurance-gets-a-new-president.html
   |date=December 27, 1990 |access-date=January 22, 2023}}</ref> (through 1996, when they sold it).<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[New York Times]]
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/07/business/textron-to-invest-in-paul-revere-unit-before-sale.html
|title=Textron to invest in Paul Revere Unit before sale
|date=November 7, 1996
|quote=selling its 83 percent stake to Provident Companies
}}</ref>