William C. Durant
Carriage maker turned auto pioneer who founded General Motors and co-founded Chevrolet.
Last updated
via Wikipedia: William C. Durant · see source
The method of selling automobiles through a network of independent dealers was an innovation Durant introduced.[1]
Life and work
In 1886, he partnered with Josiah Dallas Dort to found the Flint Road Cart Company with $2,000 in start-up capital.[2][3] By 1900, the Durant-Dort Carriage Company produced 50,000 buggies, carts and carriages per year.[4] Durant assumed control of the troubled Buick Motor Company on November 1, 1904.[5] Durant was forced out of General Motors in 1910 after the company faced a cash shortage.[6]
He then partnered with Louis Chevrolet in 1911 to start the Chevrolet company.[1][4] Durant declared bankruptcy in 1936 and later opened a bowling alley in Flint, Michigan.[1] After his father left the family in 1869, Durant's household relocated to Flint, Michigan, where they resided with his aunt and uncle.[7] Leaving high school before graduating, Durant first found employment at his grandfather's lumber business and subsequently became a seller of cigars.[7][2]
Through the strong sales performance of Chevrolet, Durant managed to reacquire leadership of General Motors by 1916.[8][2]
What the cited sources add
The Flint Timeline Project notes that Durant bought the manufacturing rights to a two-wheel horse-drawn cart in 1884 after seeing it on the streets of Flint.[4] Dr. Burton W. Folsom's account states that Durant initially thought cars were smelly, noisy, and dangerous.[2] The same source reports that Walter Chrysler said of Durant, "He could coax a bird right down out of a tree"[2] The Turning Wheel book describes Durant as "a man desperately hurried, spurred by ambition and responsibility to feats of almost superhuman endurance"[9]
The Flint Timeline Project records that Durant acquired the Flint Wagon Works on October 12, 1911 for a nominal $10.[4] The Turning Wheel book notes that Durant never quite deserved the reputation for financial genius that clung to his name.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "William C. Durant" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Yates, Brock. "10 Best Moguls", in Car and Driver, 1/88, p.46. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Dr. Burton W. Folsom, "Billy Durant and the Founding of General Motors [Mackinac Center]", Mackinac.org, 1998-09-08. facts only, no text reused. mackinac.org
- Wikipedia, "William C. Durant" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dr. Burton W. Folsom, "Billy Durant and the Founding of General Motors [Mackinac Center]", Mackinac.org, 1998-09-08; Yates, Brock. "10 Best Moguls", in Car and Driver, 1/88, p.46. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Flint Timeline Project-Flint Wagon Works", www.cockleburcamp.com. facts only, no text reused. cockleburcamp.com
- Wikipedia, "William C. Durant" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Christian, "Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1977", National Park Service}} and {{NHLS url, March 1977; Pelfrey, "Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, a Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History", AMACOM, 2006, p. 83–85; 95–96; 106; Pelfrey, "Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, a Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History", AMACOM, 2006, p. 83–85; 95–96; 106 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William C. Durant" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Christian, "Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1977", National Park Service}} and {{NHLS url, March 1977 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William C. Durant" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Arculus, "Durant's Right-Hand Man", FriesenPress, 2011, p. 69; Arculus, "Durant's Right-Hand Man", FriesenPress, 2011, p. 69; Mroz, "American Military Vehicles of World War I: An Illustrated History of Armored Cars, Staff Cars, Motorcycles, Ambulances, Trucks, Tractors and Tanks", McFarland, 2009, p. 133 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William C. Durant" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sherosky, "Remembering Josiah Dallas Dort and his automobile", Detroit Automotive Technology Examiner, December 23, 2009; Sherosky, "Remembering Josiah Dallas Dort and his automobile", Detroit Automotive Technology Examiner, December 23, 2009; Wood, "History of Genesee County, Michigan: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Volume 1", Federal Publishers, 1916, p. 778; Christian, "Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1977", National Park Service}} and {{NHLS url, March 1977 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Full text of "The turning wheel; the story of General Motors through twenty-five years, 1908-1933"". facts only, no text reused. archive.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article William C. Durant (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: William C. Durant (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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