William Pew
Founder
William Pew was a founder of Alliance Defending Freedom, serving on its governing board of directors from its inception until his passing in 1997.
Born in Canada, he came to the United States at the outbreak of World War II to volunteer for the United States Navy. He tested so high in electrical engineering that the Navy sent him to Rice University for additional education. After the war, he launched one of the most successful electrical businesses in the United States, designing and manufacturing electrical control panels for automation and machine tools used in the automobile industry, principally the then “Big Three” automakers in Detroit, MI. He became famous as an auto collector – at one time owning some of the rarest early editions.
Mr. Pew was a generous supporter of countless Christian ministries with a special heart for evangelism. He and his wife Margaret launched the Maranatha Foundation from which he underwrote all of the initial start-up costs and underlying studies for Alliance Defending Freedom.