# William Hewlett Co-founder of Hewlett-Packard (with David Packard) in a Palo Alto garage in 1939 — the founding act of [[Silicon Valley]] mythology. The HP garage is literally designated as "the Birthplace of Silicon Valley." Hewlett served as HP's president (1964–1977) and CEO (1968–1978), building it into one of the world's leading technology companies. He died in 2001. Hewlett's philanthropic legacy matters more to the vault than his corporate career. The [[Hewlett Foundation]], endowed by his fortune, is one of the largest foundations in the United States, spending heavily on education, environment, and democratic governance — making it a target of right-wing criticism of "liberal philanthropy" and a node in the [[Philanthropy Ecosystem]] the vault tracks. The Hewlett and [[Packard Foundation]] fortunes together represent one of Silicon Valley's most significant philanthropic dynasties. ## See Also - [[Hewlett Foundation]] — the foundation bearing his name - [[Packard Foundation]] — his co-founder's parallel philanthropic legacy - [[Silicon Valley]] — the ecosystem he helped create - [[Philanthropy Ecosystem]] — the broader landscape