Kaufman Thuma Keller, commonly known as K. T. Keller (27 November 188521 January 1966), was an American corporate executive who served as the president of
Chrysler Corporation
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
from 1935 to 1950 and as its chairman of the board from 1950 to 1956.
He is also known for proposing the creation of the
Detroit Arsenal.
Biography
Automotive career
Keller joined the
General Motors Company
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years bef ...
(GMC) in 1911, and he worked as a general master mechanic for one of GMC's divisions, the
Buick Motor Company
Buick () is a division (business), division of the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American Brand, marques of automobiles, and w ...
from 1916 to 1919. He quickly rose to become a vice president of
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
in 1921, later becoming a vice president for
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
.
From 1935 to 1950 he served as Chrysler's president and then as its chairman of the board until 1956.
Under his leadership, Chrysler became second among the world's largest auto producers, with sales exceeding $1 billion in 1947. Further, Chrysler pioneered many of the "engineering advances that are standard today, including high-compression engines and four-wheel hydraulic brakes." Under his leadership Chrysler got a contract from the US government for isolating Uranium 235, and he was a key figure in proposing a nickel plated device for this process that would allow replacement of much of the nickel with less expensive steel.
Public service
Following World War II, President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
appointed Keller as chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on the
Merchant Marine in 1947. Truman also appointed Keller to serve as the director of the Office of Guided Missiles.
In 1954, he was one of ten outstanding scientists and industrialists appointed to the newly formed
Army Scientific Advisory Panel.
Awards
Keller received many awards and honors during his lifetime. In 1946, President Truman awarded him the
Medal for Merit
The Medal for Merit was, during the period it was awarded, the highest civilian decoration of the United States. It was awarded by the President of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct i ...
for his contribution during World War II.
In 1954, he received the
Air Force Exceptional Service Award
Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force are military decorations which are issued by the Department of the Air Force to airmen of the United States Air Force and guardians of the United States Space Force and members ...
. The biggest honor he received occurred in October 1939, when
''Time'' honored Keller by not only writing a feature article about his work with Chrysler, but portraying him on the cover of its magazine.
Footnotes
Further reading
* Alex Taylor III
"History's Ten Worst Auto Chiefs,"''Fortune,'' April 3, 2013.
* Ed Wallace
''Bloomberg Business,'' May 5, 2009.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Kaufman
1885 births
1966 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
United States Army Science Board people
Manhattan Project people
People from Mount Joy, Pennsylvania
Businesspeople from Pennsylvania
Medal for Merit recipients
Chrysler people