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{{Short description|American businessman}}
{{Short description|American businessman (1868–1920)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name = Horace Elgin Dodge
|name = Horace Elgin Dodge

|image = Horace Elgin Dodge.jpg
|image = Horace Elgin Dodge.jpg
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1868|5|17}}
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1868|5|17}}
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|death_place = [[Palm Beach, Florida]], U.S.
|death_place = [[Palm Beach, Florida]], U.S.
|body_discovered =
|body_discovered =
|resting_place = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)|Woodlawn Cemetery]]<br>([[Detroit]], Michigan, U.S.)
|resting_place = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)|Woodlawn Cemetery]], Detroit
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|nationality = American
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|net_worth = USD $100 million at the time of his death (approximately 1/889th of US [[Gross national product|GNP]])<ref name=Wealthy100>{{Citation| last1=Klepper| first1=Michael| last2=Gunther| first2=Michael| date=1996| title=The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates—A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present| publisher=Carol Publishing Group| location=[[Secaucus, New Jersey]]| page=[https://archive.org/details/wealthy100frombe00klep/page/ xi]| isbn=978-0-8065-1800-8| oclc=33818143| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/wealthy100frombe00klep/page/}}</ref>
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'''Horace Elgin Dodge Sr.''' (May 17, 1868 &ndash; December 10, 1920) was an [[Americans|American]] automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of [[Dodge|Dodge Brothers Company]].
'''Horace Elgin Dodge Sr.''' (May 17, 1868 – December 10, 1920) was an American automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of [[Dodge|Dodge Brothers Company]].


==Early years and business==
==Early years and business==
He was born in [[Niles, Michigan]], on May 17, 1868.<ref name=burton>Burton, Clarence M., ed. (1922). [https://books.google.com/books?id=2TTiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA308 ''The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922''], Vol. IV, pp. 308-313. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company.</ref> His father owned a foundry and machine shop. Horace Dodge and his elder brother [[John Francis Dodge]] were inseparable as children and as adults. In 1886, the Dodge brothers moved to [[ Detroit, Michigan]], where they took jobs at a [[boilermaker]] plant. In 1894, they went to work as [[machinist]]s at the Canadian Typograph Company across the [[Detroit River]] in [[Windsor, Ontario]].<ref name=burton/>
He was born in [[Niles, Michigan]], on May 17, 1868.<ref name=burton>Burton, Clarence M., ed. (1922). [https://books.google.com/books?id=2TTiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA308 ''The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922''], Vol. IV, pp. 308–313. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company.</ref> His father owned a foundry and machine shop. Horace Dodge and his elder brother [[John Francis Dodge]] were inseparable as children and as adults. The pair was noted for personal initiative and once built a working high-wheel bicycle from scrap materials.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Hyde |first=Charles K. |title=Riding the Roller Coaster: A History of the Chrysler Corporation |publisher=Wayne State University Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8143-3781-3 |location=Detroit |pages=21, 46 |language=en}}</ref>


In 1886, the Dodge brothers moved to [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], where they took jobs at Murphy Boiler Works, a [[boilermaker]] plant owned by a marine engineer named Thomas Murphy.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kollins |first=Michael J. |title=The Big Three |publisher=SAE International |year=2002 |isbn=0-7680-0902-2 |pages=168 |language=en}}</ref> In 1894, they went to work as [[machinist]]s at the Canadian Typograph Company across the [[Detroit River]] in [[Windsor, Ontario]].<ref name="burton" />
⚫
In 1896, Horace Dodge married [[Anna Thompson Dodge|Anna Thompson]], a [[Scotland|Scottish]] immigrant born in [[Dundee]]. The couple had a son, Horace Jr., and a daughter, Delphine. Thompson later married actor [[Hugh Dillman]] after the death of Dodge.<ref name=widow>{{cite news |title=Mrs. Horace Dodge Dies at 103. Among World's Richest Women. Conflicts Over $100-Million Estate Predicted. Widow Survived 2 Children |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0F1EF83F5812718DDDAD0894DE405B808BF1D3 |quote=Mrs. Anna Thompson Dodge, widow of Horace E. Dodge, the automotive pioneer, and one of the richest women in the world, died last night at her home, Rose Terrace. She was 103 years old and had been using a wheelchair for seven years. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 4, 1970 |access-date=2007-07-21 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>


⚫
In 1896, Horace Dodge married [[Anna Thompson Dodge|Anna Thompson]] in Windsor, Ohio.<ref name=":0" /> She was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] immigrant born in [[Dundee]] and came from a working class family.<ref name=":0" /> The couple had a son, Horace Jr., and a daughter, Delphine. Thompson later married actor [[Hugh Dillman]] after the death of Dodge.<ref name="widow">{{cite news |title=Mrs. Horace Dodge Dies at 103. Among World's Richest Women. Conflicts Over $100-Million Estate Predicted. Widow Survived 2 Children |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0F1EF83F5812718DDDAD0894DE405B808BF1D3 |quote=Mrs. Anna Thompson Dodge, widow of Horace E. Dodge, the automotive pioneer, and one of the richest women in the world, died last night at her home, Rose Terrace. She was 103 years old and had been using a wheelchair for seven years. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 4, 1970 |access-date=2007-07-21 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
⚫
While brother John Dodge was the sales-oriented managerial type, Horace was a gifted mechanic and inveterate tinkerer. He invented the first dirt-proof [[ball bearing]]; in 1897, John arranged a deal for them to join with a third-party investor to manufacture [[bicycle]]s. Within a few years, they sold the business and, in 1901, used the proceeds of the sale to set up their own machine shop in Detroit.<ref name=burton/> During their first year in business, the Dodge brothers' company began making parts for the automobile industry.

⚫
While brother John Dodge was the sales-oriented managerial type, Horace was a gifted mechanic and inveterate tinkerer. He invented the first dirt-proof [[ball bearing]]. In 1897, John arranged a deal for them to join with a third-party investor to manufacture [[bicycle]]s. Within a few years, they sold the business and, in 1901, used the proceeds of the sale to set up their own machine shop in Detroit.<ref name=burton/> During their first year in business, the Dodge brothers' company began making parts for the automobile industry. This company secured a contract to produce transmissions for Oldsmobile and for the newly chartered Ford Motor Company.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Vachon |first=Paul |title=Legendary Locals of Detroit, Michigan |date=2013 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4671-0042-7 |location=Charleston, South Carolina |pages=41 |language=en}}</ref>


==Automobiles==
==Automobiles==
In 1902, they won a contract to build [[Transmission (mechanics)|transmissions]] for the [[Oldsmobile#Early history|Olds Motor Vehicle Company]] upon which they built a solid reputation for quality and service. However, the following year they turned down a second contract from Olds (Oldsmobile) to retool their plant to build engines for [[Henry Ford]] in a deal that included a share position in the new [[Ford Motor Company]]. They had invested in Ford's business and eventually Ford would be in debt to the Dodge Brothers. By 1910, Horace Dodge and his brother were so successful they built a new plant in [[Hamtramck, Michigan]].
In 1902, they won a contract to build [[Transmission (mechanics)|transmissions]] for the [[Oldsmobile#Early history|Olds Motor Vehicle Company]] upon which they built a solid reputation for quality and service. However, the following year they turned down a second contract from Olds (Oldsmobile) to retool their plant to build engines for [[Henry Ford]] in a deal that included a share position in the new [[Ford Motor Company]]. They had invested in Ford's business and eventually Ford would be in debt to the Dodge Brothers. By 1910, Horace Dodge and his brother were so successful they built a new plant in [[Hamtramck, Michigan]].


For ten years, the Dodge brothers' company was supplier to Ford, and John Dodge worked as vice president of the Ford company. In 1913 the Dodge brothers terminated their Ford contract and devoted their energies toward producing a Dodge automobile.<ref name=burton/> They began building [[truck|motor trucks]], [[ambulance]]s and other vehicles for the [[United States military]] during the arms buildup for [[World War I]] and in October 1917 they produced their first commercial car. At war's end, their company manufactured and marketed both cars and trucks.
For ten years, the Dodge brothers' company was supplier to Ford, and John Dodge worked as vice president of the Ford company. In 1913 the Dodge brothers terminated their Ford contract and devoted their energies toward producing a Dodge automobile.<ref name=burton/> They introduced the [[Dodge 30-35|Dodge Brothers 30]] in November, 1914. They began building [[truck|motor trucks]], [[ambulance]]s and other vehicles for the [[United States military]] during the arms buildup for [[World War I]] At war's end, their company manufactured and marketed both cars and trucks. By 1919, Ford bought back the Dodges' stock for $25 million.<ref name=":1" />


He was inducted into the [[Automotive Hall of Fame]] in 1981.
He was inducted into the [[Automotive Hall of Fame]] in 1981.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Despite their wealth and growing influence in the business community, the red-haired <ref>[http://www.dodgemotorcar.com/history/early_history.php Early history of the Dodge brothers]</ref> Dodge brothers' crude manners and aggressive conduct made them socially unacceptable to most of the wealthy Detroit elite.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}} In 1912, Horace Dodge built a red [[sandstone]] mansion in [[Grosse Pointe]] called [[Rose Terrace (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan)#History|''Rose Terrace'']]. The huge home with formal gardens and boat dock overlooked [[Lake Saint Clair (North America)|Lake St. Clair]].
Despite their wealth and growing influence in the business community, the red-haired <ref>[http://www.dodgemotorcar.com/history/early_history.php Early history of the Dodge brothers]</ref> Dodge brothers' crude manners and aggressive conduct made them socially unacceptable to most of the wealthy Detroit elite.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}} In 1912, Horace Dodge built a red [[sandstone]] mansion in [[Grosse Pointe]] called [[Rose Terrace (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan)#History|''Rose Terrace'']]. The huge home with formal gardens and boat dock overlooked [[Lake St. Clair]].

⚫
This was replaced by a second ''Rose Terrace'', constructed in the 1930s by architect [[Horace Trumbauer]], for Mrs. Dodge and her second husband. Architectural historian W. Hawkins Ferry described the mansion as "unquestionably Grosse Pointe's most regal residence". In addition to Rose Terrace, the Dodges acquired a large winter estate in [[Palm Beach, Florida]]. Horace's wife Anna had studied music, and this fact won them acceptance by the city's social order. Horace and Anna Dodge became major benefactors of the new [[Detroit Symphony Orchestra]] and would play a key role in the construction of [[Orchestra Hall, Detroit|Orchestra Hall]].


⚫
This was replaced by a second ''Rose Terrace'', constructed in the 1930s by architect [[Horace Trumbauer]], for Mrs. Dodge and her second husband. Architectural historian W. Hawkins Ferry described the mansion as "unquestionably Grosse Pointe's most regal residence". In addition to Rose Terrace, the Dodges acquired a large winter estate in [[Palm Beach, Florida]]. Horace's wife Anna had studied music, and this fact won them acceptance by the city's social order. Horace and Anna Dodge became major benefactors of the new [[Detroit Symphony Orchestra]] and would play a key role in the construction of [[Orchestra Hall, Detroit|Orchestra Hall]].
⚫
[[File:SS delphine.JPG|thumb|right|[[SS Delphine (1921)|SS ''Delphine'']] off the [[French Riviera]], July 2008.]]
⚫
A [[Motorboat|speedboat]] and [[yachting]] enthusiast, Horace Dodge's keen interest in the vessel's engines led him to establish a marine division as part of their automotive business. He purchased several [[steam yacht]]s, each larger and more luxurious than the previous.<ref name=3NOK>{{cite magazine |date=November 1920 |title=On the New ''Nokomis'' (advertisement with photos of the three vessels) |magazine=Motor Boating |volume=26 |issue=5 |page=79 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pm06kBvXmXsC&pg=PA79 |access-date=29 October 2018}}</ref> The first two large yachts were named [[USS Nokomis (SP-609)|''Nokomis'']], both being purchased by the government for World War I use, with the second being described as a "floating palace" even as it was being stripped for Navy use shortly after completion.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 1917 |title=''Nokomis'' A Floating Palace |magazine=The Rudder |volume=33 |issue=7 |page=451—453 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mS0jAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA451 |access-date=29 October 2018|last1=Day |first1=Thomas Fleming }}</ref> The last, named the ''[[SS Delphine (1921)|Delphine]]'' for his daughter after following the ''Nokomis'' tradition in the early phase of design,<ref name=3NOK/> was a {{convert|257.8|ft|m|adj=on}} vessel. Construction commenced in 1920 and was completed in 1921, after his death. In the ensuing years the yacht experienced a sinking, a run onto rocks, and service as a [[United States Navy]] patrol boat during [[World War II]]. The ''Delphine'' passed through the hands of several owners and after major refurbishing it sails the [[Mediterranean]] today as a luxury charter.


⚫
[[File:SS delphine.JPG|thumb|right|{{SS|Delphine|1921|6}} off the [[French Riviera]], July 2008.]]
Horace Dodge's great-grandson is film producer Johnny Dodge.
⚫
A [[Motorboat|speedboat]] and [[yachting]] enthusiast, Horace Dodge's keen interest in the vessel's engines led him to establish a marine division as part of their automotive business. He purchased several [[steam yacht]]s, each larger and more luxurious than the previous.<ref name=3NOK>{{cite magazine |date=November 1920 |title=On the New ''Nokomis'' (advertisement with photos of the three vessels) |magazine=Motor Boating |volume=26 |issue=5 |page=79 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pm06kBvXmXsC&pg=PA79 |access-date=October 29, 2018}}</ref> The first two large yachts were named [[USS Nokomis (SP-609)|''Nokomis'']], both being purchased by the government for World War I use, with the second being described as a "floating palace" even as it was being stripped for Navy use shortly after completion.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 1917 |title=''Nokomis'' A Floating Palace |magazine=The Rudder |volume=33 |issue=7 |pages=451–453 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mS0jAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA451 |access-date=October 29, 2018|last1=Day |first1=Thomas Fleming }}</ref> The last, named the ''[[SS Delphine (1921)|Delphine]]'' for his daughter after following the ''Nokomis'' tradition in the early phase of design,<ref name=3NOK/> was a {{convert|257.8|ft|m|adj=on}} vessel. Construction commenced in 1920 and was completed in 1921, after his death. In the ensuing years the yacht experienced a sinking, a run onto rocks, and service as a [[United States Navy]] patrol boat during [[World War II]]. The ''Delphine'' passed through the hands of several owners and after major refurbishing it sails the [[Mediterranean]] today as a luxury charter.


==Death==
==Death==
[[File:SphynxDodge.jpg|thumb|Dodge Brothers Mausoleum]]
[[File:SphynxDodge.jpg|thumb|Dodge Brothers Mausoleum]]
In 1919, [[Henry Ford]] bought out the Dodge brothers' shareholdings in [[Ford Motor Company]] for $25 million. In January 1920, Horace's brother, John, died during the [[1918 flu pandemic|influenza epidemic]].<ref>{{cite news |title=John P. Dodge Dies At Ritz-Carlton. Detroit Manufacturer Was Stricken With Pneumonia At Automobile Show. His Brother Recovering As Minority Stockholders Of Ford Company. They Won $60,000,000 Suit Against Henry Ford |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/01/15/archives/john-p-dodge-dies-at-ritzcarlton-detroit-manufacturer-was-stricken.html |quote=John F. Dodge, the Detroit automobile manufacturer, who had been ill for a week with pneumonia in his apartments at the Ritz-Carlton, failed to survive the crisis of the attack and died last night at half past 10 o'clock. For some time before the end he was unconscious and unable to recognize his wife and daughters, who were with him. |work=The New York Times |date=January 15, 1920 |access-date=March 27, 2010 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> He was interred in the family's Egyptian-style mausoleum in Detroit's [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] guarded by two Sphinx statues.<ref>Hyde (2005), pp. 117-18.</ref> Having also contracted the flu that December following several relapses, Horace also died from complications of the disease resulting in [[pneumonia]] and cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 52 in [[Palm Beach, Florida]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Horace E. Dodge Dies in Florida. Detroit Automobile Manufacturer Succumbs Suddenly at Beach Home. Brother Died This Year. Sole Head of Industry Employing 18,000 Men Began His Career as Machinist With John F. Dodge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/12/11/archives/horace-e-dodge-dies-in-florida-detroit-automobile-manufacturer.html |quote=Horace E. Dodge, millionaire automobile manufacturer, died here tonight at his Winter home.|work=The New York Times |date=December 11, 1920 |access-date=July 21, 2007|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He was interred with his brother in the same mausoleum. His widow outlived him by fifty years.<ref name=widow/>
In 1919, [[Henry Ford]] bought out the Dodge brothers' shareholdings in [[Ford Motor Company]] for [[U.S. Dollars|$]]25 million. In January 1920, Horace's brother, John, died during the [[1918 flu pandemic|influenza epidemic]].<ref>{{cite news |title=John P. Dodge Dies At Ritz-Carlton. Detroit Manufacturer Was Stricken With Pneumonia At Automobile Show. His Brother Recovering As Minority Stockholders Of Ford Company. They Won $60,000,000 Suit Against Henry Ford |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/01/15/archives/john-p-dodge-dies-at-ritzcarlton-detroit-manufacturer-was-stricken.html |quote=John F. Dodge, the Detroit automobile manufacturer, who had been ill for a week with pneumonia in his apartments at the Ritz-Carlton, failed to survive the crisis of the attack and died last night at half past 10 o'clock. For some time before the end he was unconscious and unable to recognize his wife and daughters, who were with him. |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 15, 1920 |access-date=March 27, 2010 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> He was interred in the family's Egyptian-style mausoleum in Detroit's [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] guarded by two Sphinx statues.<ref>Hyde (2005), pp. 117–118.{{full citation needed|date=January 2023}}</ref> Having also contracted the flu that December following several relapses, Horace also died from complications of the disease resulting in [[pneumonia]] and cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 52 in [[Palm Beach, Florida]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Horace E. Dodge Dies in Florida. Detroit Automobile Manufacturer Succumbs Suddenly at Beach Home. Brother Died This Year. Sole Head of Industry Employing 18,000 Men Began His Career as Machinist With John F. Dodge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/12/11/archives/horace-e-dodge-dies-in-florida-detroit-automobile-manufacturer.html |quote=Horace E. Dodge, millionaire automobile manufacturer, died here tonight at his Winter home.|newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 11, 1920 |access-date=July 21, 2007|url-access=subscription}}</ref> He was interred with his brother in the same mausoleum. His widow outlived him by fifty years.<ref name=widow/>


In 1925, Horace and John Dodge's widows sold their automobile business to [[Dillon Read]] [[investment banker]]s for $146 million.<ref name="curcio">{{cite book |last= Curcio |first= Vincent |year= 2000 |title= Chrysler: The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 0-19-514705-7}}</ref> Upon her death in 1970, Anna Thompson Dodge left a sum to the City of Detroit for the construction of the [[Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain]]. The fountain was designed by sculptor [[Isamu Noguchi]] and opened in 1978 as part of the city's [[Hart Plaza#and the Dock of Detroit|Hart Plaza]]. Horace E. Dodge, Jr. died in 1963 at age 63.<ref name="news">{{cite news|date=June 24, 2000 |url=http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=97 |title=Mrs. Dodge and the Regal Rose Terrace |author=Patricia Zacharias |work=[[The Detroit News]] |publisher=detnews.com-Michigan History |access-date=November 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.is/20120708040928/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=97 |archive-date=July 8, 2012 }}</ref>
In 1925, Horace and John Dodge's widows sold their automobile business to [[Dillon Read]] [[investment banker]]s for $146 million.<ref name="curcio">{{cite book |last= Curcio |first= Vincent |year= 2000 |title= Chrysler: The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 0-19-514705-7}}</ref> Upon her death in 1970, Anna Thompson Dodge left a sum to the City of Detroit for the construction of the [[Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain]]. The fountain was designed by sculptor [[Isamu Noguchi]] and opened in 1978 as part of the city's [[Hart Plaza#and the Dock of Detroit|Hart Plaza]]. Horace E. Dodge Jr. died in 1963 at age 63.<ref name="news">{{cite news|date=June 24, 2000 |url=http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=97 |title=Mrs. Dodge and the Regal Rose Terrace |first=Patricia |last=Zacharias |newspaper=[[The Detroit News]]-Michigan History |access-date=November 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708040928/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=97 |archive-date=July 8, 2012 }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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*{{Find a Grave|287}}
*{{Find a Grave|287}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050901083333/http://www.ssdelphine.com/ Story & photos of the ''Delphine II'' yacht]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050901083333/http://www.ssdelphine.com/ Story & photos of the ''Delphine II'' yacht]
* [http://www.detroits-great-rebellion.com/Dodge-Brothers.html The Dodge Boys - Forgotten by many, remembered by few]


{{Dodge}}
{{1981 Automotive Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Businesspeople from Detroit]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Detroit]]
[[Category:People from Niles, Michigan]]
[[Category:People from Niles, Michigan]]
[[Category:Deaths from Spanish flu]]
[[Category:Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in Florida]]
[[Category:Machinists]]
[[Category:Machinists]]
[[Category:American boilermakers]]
[[Category:American boilermakers]]
[[Category:Dodge family]]
[[Category:Dodge family]]
[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)]]
[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)]]
[[Category:Deaths from cirrhosis]]
[[Category:Deaths from cirrhosis]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in Florida]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Florida]]

Latest revision as of 01:30, 28 November 2024

Horace Elgin Dodge
Born(1868-05-17)May 17, 1868
Niles, Michigan, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 1920(1920-12-10) (aged 52)
Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Resting placeWoodlawn Cemetery, Detroit
Known forFounding Dodge Brothers Company which became present-day Dodge
SpouseAnna Thompson Dodge
Children2
RelativesJohn Francis Dodge (brother)

Horace Elgin Dodge Sr. (May 17, 1868 – December 10, 1920) was an American automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company.

Early years and business

[edit]

He was born in Niles, Michigan, on May 17, 1868.[1] His father owned a foundry and machine shop. Horace Dodge and his elder brother John Francis Dodge were inseparable as children and as adults. The pair was noted for personal initiative and once built a working high-wheel bicycle from scrap materials.[2]

In 1886, the Dodge brothers moved to Detroit, Michigan, where they took jobs at Murphy Boiler Works, a boilermaker plant owned by a marine engineer named Thomas Murphy.[2][3] In 1894, they went to work as machinists at the Canadian Typograph Company across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario.[1]

In 1896, Horace Dodge married Anna Thompson in Windsor, Ohio.[2] She was a Scottish immigrant born in Dundee and came from a working class family.[2] The couple had a son, Horace Jr., and a daughter, Delphine. Thompson later married actor Hugh Dillman after the death of Dodge.[4]

While brother John Dodge was the sales-oriented managerial type, Horace was a gifted mechanic and inveterate tinkerer. He invented the first dirt-proof ball bearing. In 1897, John arranged a deal for them to join with a third-party investor to manufacture bicycles. Within a few years, they sold the business and, in 1901, used the proceeds of the sale to set up their own machine shop in Detroit.[1] During their first year in business, the Dodge brothers' company began making parts for the automobile industry. This company secured a contract to produce transmissions for Oldsmobile and for the newly chartered Ford Motor Company.[5]

Automobiles

[edit]

In 1902, they won a contract to build transmissions for the Olds Motor Vehicle Company upon which they built a solid reputation for quality and service. However, the following year they turned down a second contract from Olds (Oldsmobile) to retool their plant to build engines for Henry Ford in a deal that included a share position in the new Ford Motor Company. They had invested in Ford's business and eventually Ford would be in debt to the Dodge Brothers. By 1910, Horace Dodge and his brother were so successful they built a new plant in Hamtramck, Michigan.

For ten years, the Dodge brothers' company was supplier to Ford, and John Dodge worked as vice president of the Ford company. In 1913 the Dodge brothers terminated their Ford contract and devoted their energies toward producing a Dodge automobile.[1] They introduced the Dodge Brothers 30 in November, 1914. They began building motor trucks, ambulances and other vehicles for the United States military during the arms buildup for World War I At war's end, their company manufactured and marketed both cars and trucks. By 1919, Ford bought back the Dodges' stock for $25 million.[5]

He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1981.

Personal life

[edit]

Despite their wealth and growing influence in the business community, the red-haired [6] Dodge brothers' crude manners and aggressive conduct made them socially unacceptable to most of the wealthy Detroit elite.[citation needed] In 1912, Horace Dodge built a red sandstone mansion in Grosse Pointe called Rose Terrace. The huge home with formal gardens and boat dock overlooked Lake St. Clair.

This was replaced by a second Rose Terrace, constructed in the 1930s by architect Horace Trumbauer, for Mrs. Dodge and her second husband. Architectural historian W. Hawkins Ferry described the mansion as "unquestionably Grosse Pointe's most regal residence". In addition to Rose Terrace, the Dodges acquired a large winter estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Horace's wife Anna had studied music, and this fact won them acceptance by the city's social order. Horace and Anna Dodge became major benefactors of the new Detroit Symphony Orchestra and would play a key role in the construction of Orchestra Hall.

SS Delphine off the French Riviera, July 2008.

A speedboat and yachting enthusiast, Horace Dodge's keen interest in the vessel's engines led him to establish a marine division as part of their automotive business. He purchased several steam yachts, each larger and more luxurious than the previous.[7] The first two large yachts were named Nokomis, both being purchased by the government for World War I use, with the second being described as a "floating palace" even as it was being stripped for Navy use shortly after completion.[8] The last, named the Delphine for his daughter after following the Nokomis tradition in the early phase of design,[7] was a 257.8-foot (78.6 m) vessel. Construction commenced in 1920 and was completed in 1921, after his death. In the ensuing years the yacht experienced a sinking, a run onto rocks, and service as a United States Navy patrol boat during World War II. The Delphine passed through the hands of several owners and after major refurbishing it sails the Mediterranean today as a luxury charter.

Death

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Dodge Brothers Mausoleum

In 1919, Henry Ford bought out the Dodge brothers' shareholdings in Ford Motor Company for $25 million. In January 1920, Horace's brother, John, died during the influenza epidemic.[9] He was interred in the family's Egyptian-style mausoleum in Detroit's Woodlawn Cemetery guarded by two Sphinx statues.[10] Having also contracted the flu that December following several relapses, Horace also died from complications of the disease resulting in pneumonia and cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 52 in Palm Beach, Florida.[11] He was interred with his brother in the same mausoleum. His widow outlived him by fifty years.[4]

In 1925, Horace and John Dodge's widows sold their automobile business to Dillon Read investment bankers for $146 million.[12] Upon her death in 1970, Anna Thompson Dodge left a sum to the City of Detroit for the construction of the Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain. The fountain was designed by sculptor Isamu Noguchi and opened in 1978 as part of the city's Hart Plaza. Horace E. Dodge Jr. died in 1963 at age 63.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Burton, Clarence M., ed. (1922). The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV, pp. 308–313. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company.
  2. ^ a b c d Hyde, Charles K. (2003). Riding the Roller Coaster: A History of the Chrysler Corporation. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. pp. 21, 46. ISBN 978-0-8143-3781-3.
  3. ^ Kollins, Michael J. (2002). The Big Three. SAE International. p. 168. ISBN 0-7680-0902-2.
  4. ^ a b "Mrs. Horace Dodge Dies at 103. Among World's Richest Women. Conflicts Over $100-Million Estate Predicted. Widow Survived 2 Children". The New York Times. June 4, 1970. Retrieved 2007-07-21. Mrs. Anna Thompson Dodge, widow of Horace E. Dodge, the automotive pioneer, and one of the richest women in the world, died last night at her home, Rose Terrace. She was 103 years old and had been using a wheelchair for seven years.
  5. ^ a b Vachon, Paul (2013). Legendary Locals of Detroit, Michigan. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-4671-0042-7.
  6. ^ Early history of the Dodge brothers
  7. ^ a b "On the New Nokomis (advertisement with photos of the three vessels)". Motor Boating. Vol. 26, no. 5. November 1920. p. 79. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  8. ^ Day, Thomas Fleming (July 1917). "Nokomis A Floating Palace". The Rudder. Vol. 33, no. 7. pp. 451–453. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  9. ^ "John P. Dodge Dies At Ritz-Carlton. Detroit Manufacturer Was Stricken With Pneumonia At Automobile Show. His Brother Recovering As Minority Stockholders Of Ford Company. They Won $60,000,000 Suit Against Henry Ford". The New York Times. January 15, 1920. Retrieved March 27, 2010. John F. Dodge, the Detroit automobile manufacturer, who had been ill for a week with pneumonia in his apartments at the Ritz-Carlton, failed to survive the crisis of the attack and died last night at half past 10 o'clock. For some time before the end he was unconscious and unable to recognize his wife and daughters, who were with him.
  10. ^ Hyde (2005), pp. 117–118.[full citation needed]
  11. ^ "Horace E. Dodge Dies in Florida. Detroit Automobile Manufacturer Succumbs Suddenly at Beach Home. Brother Died This Year. Sole Head of Industry Employing 18,000 Men Began His Career as Machinist With John F. Dodge". The New York Times. December 11, 1920. Retrieved July 21, 2007. Horace E. Dodge, millionaire automobile manufacturer, died here tonight at his Winter home.
  12. ^ Curcio, Vincent (2000). Chrysler: The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514705-7.
  13. ^ Zacharias, Patricia (June 24, 2000). "Mrs. Dodge and the Regal Rose Terrace". The Detroit News-Michigan History. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
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