Charles Moran Jr. (May 27, 1906 – June 7, 1978) was an American

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...

and managing partner of Francis I. DuPont, brokerage firm.

Early life

He was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, son of Charles Moran, a naval historian, and Martha Adams. He attended St. George's School in

Middletown, Rhode Island Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown". History Vari ...

, and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

before graduating from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

In 1928, driving a "Rally" (Automobiles Rally - Colombes), he finished 4th in the 24-hour race at St. Germain-en-Laye (France) the "VII° Bol d'Or" driving the full 24 hours without relief. For the next year and a half he campaigned this car in Spa, San Sebastian, Madrid, Geisberg.LISCA News October 1960 He was the first American to race at

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

in 1929, in a DuPont, with co-driver Alfredo Luis Miranda; he raced the same car at

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

in 1930 with George Reed in the mechanics seat. In 1932, he gave up racing, joined DuPont Motors as an engineer, and then moved to a related enterprise, the brokerage firm of Francis I. DuPont, where he became managing partner in the 1950s. In 1949 he resumed racing, this time in sports cars (

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...

, MGs, Cunninghams, AC Bristol, Lotus,

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

) in

SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...

events and again at Le Mans, with his

Ferrari 212 Ferrari used its 2.6 L (2562.51 cc) ''Colombo'' V12 engine in a number of models, all called 212 for the displacement of a single cylinder. The following models used the 212 name: * 1951 Ferrari 212 F1 — Formula 1 and Formula 2 racer * 195 ...

(1951, finishing 16th, 1952 DNF) and with his Cunningham C4Rx coupe, co-driver John Gordon Bennett (1953, finishing 10th). He became Secretary of the Sports Car Club of America in 1952-3 and President in 1954-5. He was a member of the Commission Sportive Internationale and the American representative at the

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...

. In 1956 the

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...

ended its relationship as the sole motorsport organization affiliated with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile which governed international racing. As a result, the U.S. no longer had an association with FIA and hence no international racing licenses could be issued, international landspeed records could be certified, or US events be FIA sanctioned' which would put international drivers competing in them at risk of losing their FIA licenses. Only Indy and Sebring retained their FIA licenses. Moran took it upon himself to organize the

Automobile Competition Committee for the United States The Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS) is an umbrella organization of auto racing sanctioning bodies in the United States. It is the official liaison of U.S. sanctioning bodies to the Fédération Internationale de l'A ...

(ACCUS) to overcome rivalries between SCCA, USAC and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

clubs and have one umbrella entity to work with the FIA. He became the first president of ACCUS and managed it skillfully in its early years and led the negotiating with the FIA for US affiliation. FIA recognized ACCUS in 1957. He chaired the Board of Trustees at St. George's School 1958-62.

Indy 500 results

Personal life

In February 1936, he married Josephine D. Taylor, daughter of David H. Taylor of 875

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

. Together, they had two children: * Charles Moran III (b. 1936), who served in the O.S.S.in England and France in 1944-5.Family Correspondence * David Taylor Moran (b. 1940). He later married Hesteranne Primrose Butz; they had 3 children: * Martha Adams Moran (b. 1962) * Amedee Depau Moran (b. 1963) * Helen Moran. Charles Moran Jr. Moran died on June 7, 1978 in

Teasdale, Utah Teasdale is a census-designated place in western Wayne County, Utah, United States, between the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests and near Capitol Reef National Park. The population was 191 at the 2010 census. Teasdale lies along local roads ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Charles 1906 births 1978 deaths Princeton University alumni Indianapolis 500 drivers Racing drivers from New York City Columbia University alumni St. George's School (Rhode Island) alumni