George Schuyler Hodges (3 March 1864 – 11 April 1953) was an American artist, inventor, and automobile industry pioneer. He invented and held patents for some of the first modern cameras, lawn mowers, and breech-loading firearms. He was a fixture of society in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

where he was a charter member of the

Scarab Club The Scarab Club (commonly referred to as ''Historic Scarab Club of Detroit'') is an artists' club, gallery, and studio in the Cultural Center Historic District of Detroit, Michigan, located at 217 Farnsworth Street, near the Detroit Institute of A ...

and built the Pine Lake Country Clubhouse, Rotunda Inn and several other buildings in the neighborhood.

Early life

George S. Hodges was born to Ira Gardner and Mariva (Rose) Hodges at his family's hotel, the Hodges House, in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

. The hotel was built by his grandfather, Schuyler Hodges. At the time it was erected, it was the largest hotel west of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

.. Hodges attended the local school in Pontiac and, later, the

Michigan Military Academy The Michigan Military Academy, also known as M.M.A., was an all-boys military prep school in Orchard Lake Village, Oakland County, Michigan. It was founded in 1877 by J. Sumner Rogers and closed in 1908 due to bankruptcy. Some journalists hav ...

at Orchard Lake. GSHodgesportraitbyGamble

In 1892, Hodges traveled to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to study art. He studied for three years at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

and the

Ecole des Beaux Arts (Paris) The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...

under Jean-Léon Gérôme. His work was shown at Detroit art exhibits and at other prominent art showings throughout the country. He continued to paint as a hobby throughout his life and remained active in the local arts community. He was a friend of fellow Detroit-native and American

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painter Roy Charles Gamble. Gamble painted a portrait of Hodges' son, also George S. Hodges, as a young man in military uniform, which was printed in the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

''.

Career

Hodges organized the Hodges Vehicle Co. which made horse-drawn carriages and buggies in the late 1800s. The company closed in 1904. Later, Hodges was named secretary of the Welch Motor Co., which was one of the most prominent automobile companies in Pontiac. The company was later absorbed by

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

. Hodges was a close associate of

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

when Ford was starting his auto manufacturing business. Hodges was given credit for developing the first closed-body Ford car. He held several patents including one for a modern lawn mower motor
U.S. Patent 1610444A
one for a cartridge-loading device for a breech-loading firearm
U.S. Patent 863798A
and one for the first reflex camera and cut film pack
U.S. Patent 494354
He married Agnes Bacon in 1888. Her father was Levi Bacon, who served as chief clerk of the U.S. Patent Office in

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

References

External links

The Scarab Club

Pine Lake Country Clubhouse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, George Schuyler 1864 births 1953 deaths 20th-century American inventors Artists from Michigan