Horace Elgin Dodge
| Horace Elgin Dodge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
May 17, 1868 Niles, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 1920 (aged 52) |
| Cause of death | Spanish flu, pneumonia, cirrhosis |
| Resting place |
Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Founding Dodge Brothers Company which became present-day Dodge |
| Net worth | USD $100 million at the time of his death (approximately 1/889th of US GNP) |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Thompson Dodge |
| Children | Horace, Jr. Delphine |
| Relatives | John 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.
He was born in Niles, Michigan, on May 17, 1868. 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 machinists at the Canadian Typograph Company across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario.
In 1896, Horace Dodge married Anna Thompson, a Scottish immigrant born in Dundee. The couple had a son, Horace Jr., and a daughter, Delphine. Thompson married actor Hugh Dillman after the death of Dodge.
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 and 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. During their first year in business the Dodge brothers' company began making parts for the automobile industry.
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.
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