Dodge Brothers John And Horace

The Dodge Brothers John and Horace were sons of Daniel Dodge , who operated a foundry and machine shop in Niles Michigan . John and Horace were very close through out their whole lives . As children they played together and as men they worked together . Daniel Dodge moved his family to Port Huron Michigan , were he open a machine shop that specialized in the manufacture of auto parts . John and Horace began their learning of the machine shop trade from their father Daniel . Daniels machine shop was not very successful , so John and Horace went to work other companies in Detroit and in Winsor Ontario , as Machinists . They were dedicated to perfection in their work and became very good at it . While the boys were working for the Dominion Typograph Company in Winsor , Horace invented a sealed and dirt free ball bearing assembly , in about 1896 . In 1897 the brothers formed a partnership with Fred Evans to open the Evans and Dodge Bicycle manufacturing company in Windsor Ontario were they built E&D bicycles . The new bearing that Horace had invented was first used in the E&D bicycles they built . The bicycles that the Dodge Brothers built , gained a reputation for excellent quality and reliability . In 1900 Horace and John sold their shares in the bicycle company and used the money to finance the opening of their own Machine Shop in Detroit were they began manufacturing automobile parts . Their first big order was from Ransom Olds who hired the boys to some 2000 engines for his new Oldsmobile’s as well as transmissions and many other parts in following years . Their reputation for precision and excellence of workmanship attracted the attention of Henry Ford , who hire them to manufacture many parts for his new Ford Motor Company . Henry was by far their biggest customer . The Dodge Brothers took a 10% share of Ford Motor Company in exchange for the first order of parts which is said to have been about $166,000.00 worth of parts . They received about 1 million dollar a year in royalties from Henry Ford for this investment . The Dodge brothers continued to manufacture parts for Ford for about 10 years . In 1908 when Ford introduced his new Model T , the Dodge brothers had to build a new larger plant to keep up with the parts supply demand , for the new Fords . During the time that the Dodge brothers manufactured parts for Ford Motor Company , the Dodge Brothers Machine Shop was the largest auto parts supplier in USA and likely in the world . In 1914 when Henry Ford bought out all the share holders in his company , the dodge brothers received 25 million dollars for their 10% of Ford Motor Company .

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The Dodge Brothers wanted to build their own automobiles . John Dodge was once quoted to have said that he was “tired of being carried around in Henry Ford’s vest pocket” . in 1913 the brothers began to build their first automobile and in 1914 the first Dodge Brothers automobile rolled of their assembly line . This car was nick-named “Old Betsy” Due to their reputation for quality of production and workmanship , that by the time that first car was finished , John and Horace were flooded with offers from some 20,000 people who wanted to open dealerships . The first Dodge Brothers automobiles used a twelve volt electrical system and also used all metal frame work under the metal body panels . Most others used a 6 volt system , and wooden framing under metal body panels at that time .

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Dodge Brothers automobiles became noted for excellent durability and dependability . By 1916 the Dodge Brothers were second in sales only to Ford and remained their until 1920 . As well as automobiles the Dodge Brothers also manufactured light trucks . They built ambulances and other vehicles for the US military and also for Poncho Villa of Mexico . Dodge also manufactured recoil systems for cannons during WW1 .

John and Horace were known for their dedication and quality in work and in their business , but they some what different after hours . Horace is said to have been milder in temper than John and Horace loved music . It was reported that on one occasion after leaving a bar , Horace had a little trouble to crank his Ford automobile to start it , when a heckler began to annoy him . Horace walked over to the man who was annoying him , flattened that man , and then calmly went back to his car and cranked it to a start .

It was once alleged that John Dodge threatened the owner of the Detroit Times news paper , after an article was published condemning the after work life style of John and the people he partied with . On another occasion it is said that John became bored one night while in a tavern . For some entertainment John apparently pulled out a pistol and used it to persuade the bartender to get up on the bar and dance . He and his friends than broke dozens of beer glasses against the walls in response to the performance . The next day when John was sober he returned to the bar and paid for all the damages .

Horace attempted to join a very elite country club in Detroit , but was denied membership likely because of John’s wild reputation . To spite the club , Horace bought the property next door to the club and had a mansion built (he named the “Rose Terrace”) that made the country club look like an “outhouse” .

Horace Dodge had a very strong interest in boating . He built two 40 foot speed boats . He than built a 96 foot steam powered yacht in 1905 . Horace also had a 100 foot yacht built about 1910 and then a 180 foot yacht built in 1914 . In 1917 Horace had a 243 foot Yacht built . Horace was a big fan of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and helped to finance the construction of the Detroit Orchestra Hall . In time these factors made Horace accepted by the “elite” class .

Both Dodge brothers passed away from illness , in 1920 . John died in January and Horace died in December .

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Their widows hired a long time employee to manage the Dodge Brothers company , but sales declined rapidly and in 1925 the company was sold to an investment group for 146 million dollars , a record amount for that time .

The Dodge Brothers Company was acquired by Walter Chrysler in 1928 and became part of the Chrysler Corporation . Dodge is still a very big part of Chrysler to this day .

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Look for the Dodge ZEO Electric automobile in the not to distant future .