DNR - Michiganians in Business and Industry

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Michiganians in Business and Industry

These people who became famous in business and industry are frequently associated with Michigan, but were not born here.

Name	Michigan Connection	Birthplace	Date
David Buick	Came to Detroit with family at age of 2; began Buick Motor Co. in Detroit in 1903	Scotland	1854-1929
William Austin Burt	Inventor, surveyor	Massachusetts	1792-1858
Louis Chevrolet	Inventor, mechanic, auto racer; designed first Chevrolet for General Motors in 1911	Switzerland	1878-1941
Walter P. Chrysler	Automobile manufacturer	Wamego, KS	1875-1940
Thomas E. Clark	Helped establish wireless (radio)	Windsor, Ontario, Canada	1867-1962
Henry H. Crapo	Flint lumberman, Michigan state senator and governor	Dartmouth, MA	1804-1869
Herbert H. Dow	Chemical pioneer, moved to Midland (MI) for the brines; became the community's major employer and benefactor	Belleville, Ontario	1866-1930
William Crapo Durant	Founded Durant-Dort Carriage Co. in Flint, 1886; founded General Motors, 1908; grandson of Governor H. H. Crapo	Boston, MA	1861-1947
Thomas Alva Edison	Inventor, grew up in Port Huron, friend of Henry Ford	Milan, OH	1847-1931
Charles H. Hackley	Lumber baron, philanthropist; came to Muskegon in 1856	Michigan City, IN	1837-1905
Augustus M. Herring	Aviation pioneer, invented gliders and airplanes; lived and did flight experiments in St. Joseph, 1897 to 1903	Georgia	1867-1926
Joseph L. Hudson	Merchant, incorporated J. L. Hudson & Co. in Detroit, 1897	England	1846-1912
Albert Kahn	Industrial architect, established MI firm in 1926	Germany	1869-1942
Sebastian S. Kresge	Incorporated S.S. Kresge Co. in Detroit, 1912	Pennsylvania	1867-1966
Henry M. Leland	Automobile manufacturer	Vermont	1843-1932
Elijah McCoy	Inventor, established Detroit company in 1920	Ontario, Canada	1843-1929
Charles Stewart Mott	Moved his axle-making company to Flint in 1905; mayor of Flint in 1912, 1913, and 1918; General Motors vice president; founded Charles Stewart Mott Foundation	Newark, NJ	1875-1973
Ransom E. Olds	Detroit, Lansing automobile manufacturer	Ohio	1864-1950
Charles W. Post	Founded Postum Cereal Co., Ltd., in Battle Creek	Illinois	1854-1914
Walter P. Reuther	Labor leader	West Virginia	1907-1970
Eero Saarinen	Architect, high school in Birmingham, architecture firm in Detroit	Finland	1910-1961
Alfred P. Sloan	Made General Motors the world's largest automobile corporation	New Haven, CT	1875-1966
Aaron Montgomery Ward	Moved to Niles at age 9 with family and also lived and worked in St. Joseph; after moving to Chicago, he established Montgomery Ward and Co., the world's first mail-order business	Chatham, New Jersey	1843-1913
Leonard Woodcock	Family moved to Detroit in 1926; U.A.W. President, 1970-1977; U.S. Ambassador to China, 1979-1981	Providence, RI	1911-2001

Updated 06/16/2006

Michigan Historical Center, Department of History, Arts and Libraries
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