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 Detroit Arsenal may refer to: * Detroit Arsenal (Dearborn), a 19th-century arsenal in Dearborn, Michigan, United States * Detroit Arsenal (soccer), a defunct American soccer team * Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant Detroit Arsenal (DTA), formerly Det ...

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 b ...

(GMC) in 1911, and he worked as a general master mechanic for one of GMC's divisions, the Buick Motor Company 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 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 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 mem ...

. 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

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