Francis Heydt
Encyclopedia
Francis Elmer Heydt was a competitive swimmer who won three NCAA men's swimming championships, including the 150-yard backstroke event and two 300-yard medley relay championships as a member of the University of Michigan
swimming team in 1940 and 1941. He later operated a successful clothing and export business that manufactured camouflage clothing to governments in the United States, Israel, and Libya. He was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
in 1988.
, and graduated from North High School in Wichita
in 1936. In August 1935, Heydt set a new record at the Missouri Valley A.A.U. championship, swimming the 150-yard backstroke in 1:46.6. He enrolled at the University of Iowa
in the Fall of 1936.
after his sophomore year to work with legendary swim coach Matt Mann. After transferring, Heydt became eligible to compete for Michigan in February 1940, and won the Big Ten championship in the 150-yard backstroke in both 1940 and 1941. At the Big Ten Conference swim meet in early March 1941, Heydt set a new conference record for the 150-yard backstroke with a time of 1:41.6. At the NCAA tournament later that month, Heydt shaved nearly four second off his time, swimming the 150-yard backstroke in a time of 1:37.7, winning the individual championship. Two years later, another Michigan swimmer, Harry Holiday
, broke Heydt's record, swimming the 150-yard backstroke with at time of 1:33.5. Heydt also participated in Michigan's NCAA 300-yard medley relay championships in 1940 and 1941. Heydt's performances also helped Michigan win the NCAA team championships in both 1940 and 1941.
. In 1956, Heydt purchased a larger clothing store in Hutchinson, Kansas
. He sold the store in 1959 and purchased a clothing factory in Oswego, Kansas
, later opening a second factory in Commerce, Oklahoma
. Operating as the Francis E. Heydt Company, Heydt later opened additional factories in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. Heydt specialized in manufacturing camouflage clothing, flight suits, and other clothing for the United States and other countries, including Israel and Libya. He also sold airport runway sweepers, dog tag making machines, file cabinets, batteries, pipelines and airplanes.
In the 1980s, Heydt's company became involved in a dispute with the government over allegations that the company paid a government official a $10,000 gratuity in exchange for a contract to manufacture 56,800 night camouflage desert trousers. The government sought to disbar the company from conducting business with the government and refused to pay invoices totaling $175,000. In 1991, the company sued Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney
in a suit that resulted in a published decision from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Francis E. Heydt Co. v. U.S. and Richard Cheney, 948 F.2d 672 (10th Cir. 1991).
In 1983, Heydt received further public attention when former CIA agent and explosives smuggler Edwin P. Wilson
was charged with smuggling guns and 21 tons of C-4 plastic explosives to Libya. Wilson was also charged with taking out contracts for the murder of two prosecutors and six witnesses. The indictment stated that Heydt was on Wilson's "hit list" and that Wilson offered $500,000 for Heydt's murder. Heydt was identified as a former business partner of Wilson who Wilson claimed had cheated him out of $3.5 million.
.
Heydt was diagnosed with brain cancer in October 2008 and died in Kansas City, Kansas
in November 2008.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
swimming team in 1940 and 1941. He later operated a successful clothing and export business that manufactured camouflage clothing to governments in the United States, Israel, and Libya. He was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
in 1988.
Youth in Kansas
Heydt was born in Wellington, KansasWellington, Kansas
Wellington is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,172.-19th century:...
, and graduated from North High School in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
in 1936. In August 1935, Heydt set a new record at the Missouri Valley A.A.U. championship, swimming the 150-yard backstroke in 1:46.6. He enrolled at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in the Fall of 1936.
Championship swimmer
After swimming for Iowa in his sophomore year, Heydt transferred to the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
after his sophomore year to work with legendary swim coach Matt Mann. After transferring, Heydt became eligible to compete for Michigan in February 1940, and won the Big Ten championship in the 150-yard backstroke in both 1940 and 1941. At the Big Ten Conference swim meet in early March 1941, Heydt set a new conference record for the 150-yard backstroke with a time of 1:41.6. At the NCAA tournament later that month, Heydt shaved nearly four second off his time, swimming the 150-yard backstroke in a time of 1:37.7, winning the individual championship. Two years later, another Michigan swimmer, Harry Holiday
Harry Holiday
Harry Holiday, Jr. was a world record holder in the backstroke at the University of Michigan in the 1940s and the president of steelmaker American Rolling Mill Co. from 1974-1986....
, broke Heydt's record, swimming the 150-yard backstroke with at time of 1:33.5. Heydt also participated in Michigan's NCAA 300-yard medley relay championships in 1940 and 1941. Heydt's performances also helped Michigan win the NCAA team championships in both 1940 and 1941.
Business career
After graduating from Michigan with a business degree, Heydt and his wife opened a clothing store, Lee's Men and Boys Store, in Mission, KansasMission, Kansas
Mission is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 9,727 at the 2000 census. The city is a first-tier suburb in the Kansas City Metro. In 2003, Mission absorbed the neighboring city of Countryside.- History :...
. In 1956, Heydt purchased a larger clothing store in Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
. He sold the store in 1959 and purchased a clothing factory in Oswego, Kansas
Oswego, Kansas
Oswego is a city in and the county seat of Labette County, Kansas, United States,, and situated along the Neosho River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,829.-History:...
, later opening a second factory in Commerce, Oklahoma
Commerce, Oklahoma
Commerce is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,645 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Commerce is located at ....
. Operating as the Francis E. Heydt Company, Heydt later opened additional factories in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. Heydt specialized in manufacturing camouflage clothing, flight suits, and other clothing for the United States and other countries, including Israel and Libya. He also sold airport runway sweepers, dog tag making machines, file cabinets, batteries, pipelines and airplanes.
In the 1980s, Heydt's company became involved in a dispute with the government over allegations that the company paid a government official a $10,000 gratuity in exchange for a contract to manufacture 56,800 night camouflage desert trousers. The government sought to disbar the company from conducting business with the government and refused to pay invoices totaling $175,000. In 1991, the company sued Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
in a suit that resulted in a published decision from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Francis E. Heydt Co. v. U.S. and Richard Cheney, 948 F.2d 672 (10th Cir. 1991).
In 1983, Heydt received further public attention when former CIA agent and explosives smuggler Edwin P. Wilson
Edwin P. Wilson
Edwin P. Wilson was a former CIA officer who was convicted of illegally selling weapons to Libya. It was later found that the United States Department of Justice and the CIA had covered up evidence in the case.-Early life:...
was charged with smuggling guns and 21 tons of C-4 plastic explosives to Libya. Wilson was also charged with taking out contracts for the murder of two prosecutors and six witnesses. The indictment stated that Heydt was on Wilson's "hit list" and that Wilson offered $500,000 for Heydt's murder. Heydt was identified as a former business partner of Wilson who Wilson claimed had cheated him out of $3.5 million.
Family and death
Heydt met Virginia Lee Williams while he was working as a lifeguard at Mission Hills Country Club in Kansas City. The two were married on November 16, 1940, in Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
.
Heydt was diagnosed with brain cancer in October 2008 and died in Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
in November 2008.