Willard Lamb Velie
| Willard Lamb Velie | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1866 Moline, Illinois, USA |
| Died | September 24, 1928 Moline, Illinois |
| Cause of death | Embolism |
| Resting place |
Riverside Cemetery 41°30′28″N 90°29′31″W / 41.50780°N 90.49190°WCoordinates: 41°30′28″N 90°29′31″W / 41.50780°N 90.49190°W |
| Residence | Villa Velie, Moline, Illinois Winter home in Fort Myers, Florida Ranch Highwood Montana |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
Phillips Academy Yale University |
| Occupation | President/Founder of Velie Motors Corporation |
| Known for |
Velie Motorcar Velie Monocoupe |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Flowerree |
| Children | Willard Jr., Marjorie |
| Parent(s) | Stephen H. Velie Emma Deere |
Willard Lamb Velie (1866 – October 24, 1928) was a businessman based in Moline, Illinois. He was an executive at Deere & Company before starting his own companies, which grew to become Velie Motor Company. He developed advanced engines for automobiles and airplanes.
W. L. Velie was born in Moline, Illinois. He was the third of five children born to Stephen H. Velie and Emma Deere, the daughter of John Deere. Stephen Velie had moved to Rock Island, Illinois to work for the C. C. Webber & Company. In 1863 he entered into a partnership with his father-in-law, and when the company was incorporated he was elected to the offices of secretary and treasurer. W. L. Velie had two older brothers, a younger brother who died as an infant and a sister. He graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts in 1885 and Yale University in 1888. After graduation he set out for Montana.
In 1890 Velie returned to Moline and began working at Deere & Company as a clerk. After a year he became a sales manager. When his father died in 1895 W.L. replaced him as the corporate secretary and a member of the board. In 1902 Velie founded his first company, the Velie Carriage Company of Moline. It manufactured buggies, carriages, surreys, driving wagons, and spring wagons called the "Wrought Iron Line" of vehicles. In 1907 alone the company made 21,000 buggies and surreys. When his cousin William Butterworth became president of Deere & Company in 1908, Velie was elected vice-president. Three years later he became the first chairman of the executive committee when it was formed. At the same time he founded the Velie Engineering Company, which produced gas, steam and electric motors and engines, plus automobile accessories and motor trucks. In 1916 he merged his two companies and began making tractors. Their first was the Velie Biltwel 12-24, a four-cylinder tractor powered by a Velie-built engine. While this appeared to be a conflict of interest Velie was a strong supporter of Deere & Company’s acquisition or development of a tractor. For the most part, Velie’s product lines and Deere’s lines remained separate. He and Butterworth were in disagreement, however, about the company’s operation and so Velie resigned his executive committee positions in 1918 and severed all ties with the company in 1921.
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