Arthur Martin Graffis ("Mike")(October 13, 1885 in Logansport, Indiana – November 4, 1933) was an automotive engineer, serving as Chief Engineer of Auburn Automobile (1915–1922) and as Chief Engineer (1922–1932) and Interim President (1930) of

Elcar The Elcar was an American automobile manufactured from 1915 until 1931. The car was produced by the Elkhart Carriage Company, owned by William and George Pratt, of Elkhart, Indiana, which had been in business for over 30 years before producing i ...

Automotive. During Elcar’s bankruptcy, A. M. Graffis (“Mike”) was appointed court trustee of Elcar’s assets. He led a two-year battle (1931–33) to attract investors and save the company, but was killed in an automobile accident. The company was dissolved shortly thereafter.

Family

Arthur Graffis came from a prominent family of engineers. His grandfather, Abraham Graffis, built most of the covered bridges in Cass County, Indiana, and had substantial land holdings around Logansport. His father, William Graffis, was an influential businessman, founder of Graffis & Sons Shoe Company, and an organizer of the Logansport State Bank. Through his grandmother, Elizabeth Thornton Graffis, he was a member of the influential Thornton family of

Logansport, Indiana Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,366 at the 2020 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northwest of Kokomo. Hi ...

. His grandmother was a sister of prominent lawyer Henry Clay Thornton, father of

Sir Henry Worth Thornton Sir Henry Worth Thornton, KBE (November 6, 1871 – March 14, 1933) was a businessman. Thornton served as general superintendent of the Long Island Rail Road from 1911 to 1914, general manager of the Great Eastern Railway in England from 1914 ...

; Dr.

William Patton Thornton Dr. William Patton Thornton (February 6, 1817 – October 10, 1883) was a physician, educator, author, and politician. Education and career Thorton graduated from Kemper's Medical College in St. Louis and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelp ...

, a prominent Cincinnati physician; and Dr. Joseph Lyle Thornton, a prominent educator and Past-President of the Ohio Valley Paper Company. Judge William Wheeler Thornton, academic

Helen Thornton Geer Helen Thornton Geer (January 7, 1903 in New Castle, Pennsylvania – March 1983 in New Jersey) was a librarian and professor. She was the author of ''Charging Systems'', which detailed 17 of the different circulation control systems that were used ...

, socialite

James Worth Thornton James Worth Thornton (September 19, 1906 – February 6, 1983, Virginia) was an American businessman and scion of the politically and socially connected Thorntons of Indiana. Thornton was the son of Sir Henry Worth Thornton and Virginia Blair, da ...

, and silver screen actress

Edna Goodrich Edna Goodrich (born Bessie Edna Stevens; December 22, 1883 – May 26, 1971) was an American Broadway actress, ''Florodora'' girl, author, and media sensation during the early 1900s. At one point, she was known as one of America's wealthiest an ...

were cousins. Arthur M. Graffis was married to Kate MooresWedding Announcements: “Moores-Graffis,” Logansport Daily Reporter, June 4, 1910 and had three sons: Arthur Jr., William, and Harry.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graffis, Arthur Martin People from Logansport, Indiana American mechanical engineers 1885 births 1933 deaths Road incident deaths in Indiana