Founder Profile
Walter T. Varney
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Walter T. Varney?
Walter T. Varney is a founder of United Airlines Holdings, Inc., which was founded in 1926 with William Boeing.
- Company founded
- United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
- Founded
- 1926
- Co-founders
- William Boeing
Background
Varney was a World War I-era pilot and flight school operator in California before entering the air mail business.
Founding Story
Walter T. Varney founded Varney Air Lines, which won Contract Air Mail Route 5 and flew its first route between Pasco, Washington, and Elko, Nevada, via Boise, on April 6, 1926. Varney Air Lines later became part of the United Aircraft and Transport group, making it United's earliest predecessor. Varney went on to found other aviation ventures, including a predecessor of Continental Airlines.
Walter T. Varney was born in 1888 in San Francisco.
Walter Thomas Varney was born on December 26, 1888 and died on January 25, 1967. He founded forerunners of both United Airlines and Continental Airlines and was a leading airmail contractor. He served as a pilot in the Aviation Section of the US Signal Corps in the First World War.