Edward E. Carlson was born in Tacoma, Washington and raised in Seattle where his mother moved after her marriage broke up. Carlson worked at odd jobs to help his mother. In 1928, he enrolled at the University of Washington and began his first job in the hotel industry as a pageboy in Seattle’s Benjamin Franklin Hotel. He left college before graduating, and continued to advance in the hospitality industry. By 1936, he was manager of a small hotel in Mount Vernon, Washington and later became manager of Seattle’s Rainier Club, a prestigious private club in the U.S. Navy. He advanced to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Supply Corps. In 1946, he became assistant to the president of Western Hotels, and by 1969 he was chairman of the board. In 1970, Carlson became a director of Western International and UAL, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines. In 1975, he became chairman of the board and CEO of UAL, Inc. and United Airlines.
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