Fred Duesenberg
| Frederick Samuel Duesenberg | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Friedrich Simon Düsenberg December 6, 1876 Lippe, Germany |
| Died | July 26, 1932 (aged 55) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Early automobile designer, manufacturer, racer |
| Known for | Duesenberg automobile |
| Awards | Motorsports Hall of Fame |
Frederick Samuel Duesenberg (December 6, 1876 – July 26, 1932) was a German-born American automobile pioneer designer, manufacturer and sportsman.
Fred Duesenberg was born in Lippe, Germany and emigrated to the United States with his family when he was eight years old. They settled in Rockford, Iowa. He was actually born Friedrich Simon Düsenberg, and not with the middle name of Samuel as most sources say. Samuel was the middle name of his brother, August Duesenberg.
In the 1890s, Fred began building and racing bicycles with his brother August. In 1900, they began playing with gasoline engines and began building motorcycles. In 1906 the brothers got money from Edward Mason, an Iowa lawyer, to manufacture cars. Fred Maytag, Maytag washing machine and appliance magnate, bought 60 percent of the company. The result was the Maytag-Mason Motor Company in Waterloo, Iowa, which manufactured two-cylinder cars. Fred often demonstrated the cars' power in public demonstrations; in one instance, he drove a car up the steps of the Iowa state capitol building. But neither Maytag nor Mason were experienced in the car business and the company gradually folded. The Duesenbergs went off to St. Paul, Minnesota to work on racing car engines. In 1913 the Duesenberg brothers founded Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc, in St. Paul to build engines and racing cars.
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