William S. Knudsen
Danish-American automotive executive who led U.S. war production in World War II.
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U.S. Army · via Wikipedia: William S. Knudsen · Public domain
Life and work
He worked for the John R. Keim Company until Ford Motor Company bought it in 1911.[3][4] He received a commission as a lieutenant general in January 1942, the only civilian to enter the Army at that rank.[5][4] Knudsen resigned from the Army on June 1, 1945, and returned to Detroit.[6][4] At Øster Farimagsgade School he showed outstanding abilities, and through half-brother Simon Knudsen he obtained a bicycle shop apprenticeship where he is said to have put together Denmark's first tandem bicycle.[7][4]
A foreman at a Harlem River shipyard, unable to handle all his initials, recorded his name as "William S. Knudsen" or "Bill".[1] From 1924 to 1937 he led the Chevrolet Division as its president, and from 1937 to 1940 he served as president of General Motors.[8]
What the cited sources add
The same source states that under Knudsen's overall direction, production included artillery, tanks, jeeps, aircraft, and Liberty ships, and he eventually had authority over about 11 million workers.[4] It also quotes Knudsen saying he earned money by "setting something in motion and making it grow"[2] The Dansk Biografisk Leksikon records that during his schooling at Farimagsgade kommuneskole in København, Knudsen demonstrated exceptional talent.[4] His burial took place at Acacia Park kirkegård in Detroit.[4]
References
- Wikipedia, "William S. Knudsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ahrens, "'Big Bill' Knudsen turned Chevrolet from an also-ran into a powerhouse", Automotive News, September 14, 2008; "Business & Finance: Personnel: Oct. 23, 1933", 1933-10-23; "The giant brains behind America's war drive", The Lachlander, 1942-01-26, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Big Bill fra Voldmestergade 26", Kartoffelrækkerne, 2017-10-09. facts only, no text reused. kartoffelraekkerne.dk
- Wikipedia, "William S. Knudsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "William S. Knudsen American industrialist", Encyclopedia Britannica; . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "William S. Knudsen", Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, 2014-04-28. facts only, no text reused. biografiskleksikon.lex.dk
- Wikipedia, "William S. Knudsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Knudsen the Only Civilian To Enter Army at His Rank", The New York Times, January 17, 1942, p. 9 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William S. Knudsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Knudsen, William S., 1879-1948<br/>Person Authority Record", National Archives and Records Administration (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William S. Knudsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Big Bill fra Voldmestergade 26", Kartoffelrækkerne, 2017-10-09; "William S. Knudsen", Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, 2014-04-28 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William S. Knudsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: .; . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.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 S. Knudsen (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 S. Knudsen (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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