Charles Brady King (February 2, 1868 – June 22, 1957) was an American engineer and entrepreneur remembered as an automotive pioneer, artist, etcher, musician, poet, architect, mystic, industrialist and inventor.Powell, pp. 6-9May, George S., ''Encyclopedia...,'' pp. 286-293 King was the first person in Detroit to design, build and drive a self-propelled automobile – 3 months before

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 ...

built his automobile. The ''

Detroit Journal The ''Detroit Journal'' was a newspaper published in Detroit, Michigan from September 1, 1883 through March 23, 1922. The ''Detroit Evening Journal'', established by Lloyd Brezee, started as a two-cent daily with Brezee in the position of editor ...

'' of March 7, 1896, reported that King drove his motor-powered vehicle down Woodward Avenue – being the first person in Detroit to build and drive such a vehicle.Lewis, p. 171 The ''Journal'' also reported that King made and sold the first complete automobile in Detroit.

Early life

King was born February 2, 1868, at Camp Reynolds on

Angel Island, California Angel Island is an island in San Francisco Bay. The entire island is included within Angel Island State Park, administered by California State Parks. The island, a California Historical Landmark, has been used by humans for a variety of purposes ...

.King, p. 13 His father was a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

general, General John Haskell King. His mother was Matilda C. Davenport, from the New England family line of Davenports that settled in Detroit.

Career

King was first sent to Trinity College in Port Hope (Ontario) for two years, then went to Cascadilla School in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

, for preparation for entrance to

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. Then in 1887 he entered Cornell (engineering class of 1891), but was only there for two years. He moved to Detroit around 1888 or 1889 at the age of 20, shortly after his father's death. His first full-time job was as a draftsman at

Michigan Car Company The Michigan Car Company was a railroad rolling stock manufacturer located in Detroit, Michigan. The Michigan Car Company was organized in 1864 by John S. Newberry (b. 1826) and James McMillan (b. 1838) in order to manufacture railroad cars for ...

in Detroit.

First car made by King

King started designing and building his first car from the time of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. He test drove his first car in Detroit in front of hundreds of spectators on March 6, 1896, at speeds up to seven miles per hour. It was powered by a Sintz engine. The time was just before 11 P.M. The route that King did started from a building on St. Antoine Street, going first south toward the Detroit River. When he arrived at Jefferson Avenue he turned right. After passing by several businesses he arrived at Woodward Avenue. He turned right again onto that street. He again passed by several businesses and then stopped for a short time at Cadillac Square at the Russell House hotel. Henry Ford was present when King demonstrated his horseless carriage, riding a bicycle behind.Olson, p. 72-73 King showed to the Detroit public his car, which probably was the first in Michigan, however not the first in the world nor even the first in the United States. King served as a mentor to

Ransom E. Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American automotive industry, after whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. He claimed to have built his first steam car as early as 1887 and his first gasoline-power ...

and others for their inspiration to develop a "horseless carriage". Their gasoline powered automobiles came out months later. He did secret road tests in 1895, prior to this public display. The Detroit Journal interviewed King and he provided the Journal with his most famous quote: 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 ...

'' newspaper published an article the next morning: King intended to run his

motocycle ] ''Motocycle'' was a word used in the United States in the later 19th century for a horseless carriage, the type of vehicle now known as a car or automobile. The word caught on initially as it was short and easier to understand than other p ...

America's first automobile race The ''Chicago Times-Herald'' race was the first automobile race held in the United States. Sponsored by the '' Chicago Times-Herald'', the race was held in Chicago in 1895 among six motorized vehicles: four cars and two motorcycles. It was won ...

on Thanksgiving Day in 1895. His car wasn't quite ready for the race, and like more than 70 other potential entrants to the event he was forced to drop out of the race. Instead, King served as an umpire during the race on the car driven by Oscar Mueller. When Mueller collapsed from exposure near the end of the race, King took over as the driver. Other than the winning Duryea, this was the only other car to complete the entire course of the race.

Other cars

King joined the Olds Motor Works around 1900, but resigned after their plant burned down. He then joined the Northern Manufacturing Company in 1902 and in 1903 became their chief engineer until 1908. One well known car he designed was the two-cylinder "Silent Northern" – the automobile with the first integrated motor and transmission assembly and the first side-step running boards. The 1907 Northern car model also had three-point engine suspension, air brakes, an air-controlled clutch and other innovations new to the auto industry of the time. King went to Europe for two years to study automotive design in 1908. When he came back in 1910 he started the

King Motor Car Company King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

with the knowledge he acquired. He was the first automaker to make cars with left-hand steering. He also was the first to successfully make a practical working V-8 engine. The King automobile called "the Eight" was advertised as "The Car of No Regrets." The King automobile was the only vehicle to feature left-hand steering at the 1912 New York Auto Show. He left the King Automobile company in 1912, however held full possession of his patents. The King name for the car company continued for many years thereafter and produced up to 1000 automobiles under this name. The company was ultimately absorbed by the Studebaker Car Company. King was a founding member of the Automobile Old Timers in 1939, the original name of what was to become the

Automotive Hall of Fame The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum. It was founded in 1939 and has over 800 worldwide honorees. It is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. the Automotive Hall of Fame includes persons who have contributed greatly to a ...

Other interests

King visited the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

in Chicago in 1893 to display two of his new inventions, a pneumatic hammer and a brake beam for railroad cars. By 1893 King worked for the

Russel Wheel and Foundry Company Russel Wheel and Foundry Company manufactured railroad cars, rail car wheels, logging equipment and structural steel, Tall Skeletal Lighthouses in Detroit, Michigan between 1876 and 1916. In 1916, the company name was changed to Russel Steel C ...

and at the Exposition was put in charge of their exhibit in the Transportation Building, which he considered a great opportunity to learn about the latest engineering feats and exhibit his new inventions. His pneumatic hammer invention (for riveting and caulking) was unique, being the only tool of its kind there, and earned him the Exposition highest award of a special diploma certificate and a bronze medal. King saw

Gottlieb Daimler Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (; 17 March 1834 – 6 March 1900) was a German engineer, industrial designer and industrialist born in Schorndorf ( Kingdom of Württemberg, a federal state of the German Confederation), in what is now Germany. He w ...

’s self-propelled carriage at the Exposition. He also learned about this same time that the Duryea Brothers had built and tested a self-propelled carriage. He then went about the quest of designing his own "horseless carriage". King provided parts, instructions and assistance to Henry Ford for his first horseless carriage. He gave Ford two valves from one of his engines during

retrofitting Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons, for example with big capital expenditures like naval vessels, military equipment or manufacturing plants, businesses or go ...

so that Ford could build his first car, the

Quadricycle Quadricycle refers to vehicles with four wheels. In 1896 Henry Ford named his first vehicle design the "Quadricycle". it ran on four bicycle wheels, with an engine driving the back wheels.Brinkley, David, ''Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His ...

. King designed and assisted in building a 70-foot yacht called the ''Lady Frances'' that was sold to an Eastern buyer. It had many new innovations for gasoline motors, including a self-starting device. He formed with others the Michigan Yacht and Power Company. The

American Motor League The American Motor League ("AML") was the first automobile organization in the United States, formed 1895.May, p. 289 ''...but as the first such group in the country the league signaled the emergence of a new era.'' The AML started in Chicago fr ...

was organized by King and he was issued the first membership number issued each year, No. 100.

Inventions

King is considered the inventor of the

jackhammer A jackhammer (pneumatic drill or demolition hammer in British English) is a pneumatic or electro-mechanical tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel. It was invented by William Mcreavy, who then sold the patent to Charles Brady King ...

. He not only invented the jackhammer, but several other machines, tools, mechanisms, attachments and sundry devices. Below are just some of his 64 inventions that ultimately made him independently wealthy. File:1893 Chicago Exiibition exhibit diploma.jpg, 1893 Chicago World's Fair exhibit diploma for King hammer invention File:Patent 513,942.jpg,

Railcar brake beam, 1894
Patent 513,942
/div> File:Patent 550, 324.jpg,

"Jackhammer"
Patent 550,324
/div> File:Sparking Mechanism.jpg,

Sparking Mechanism
Patent 739,882
/div> File:Shovel apparatus 1904.jpg,

Steam shovel apparatus
Patent 760456
/div> File:Steam shovel 1905.jpg,

Steam shovel, 1905
Patent 786,448
/div> File:Lubricated pulley.jpg,

Lubricated pulley
Patent 786790
/div> File:Valve Gear 1905.jpg,

Valve-Gear, 1905
Patent 799,169
/div> File:Patent 830,721.jpg,

Steering Mechanism, 1906
Patent 830,721
/div> File:Steam Engine 1907.jpg,

Reversible Steam Engine
Patent 842,465
/div> File:Transmission 1907.jpg,

Transmission, 1907
Patent 857,002
/div> File:Transmission 1904.jpg,

Transmission 1904
Patent 869,494
/div> File:Transmission 1908.jpg,

Transmission, 1908
Patent 890,565
/div> File:Patent 1,012,087.jpg,

Steam shovel boom
Patent 1,012,087
/div> File:Car steering gear.jpg,

Car steering gear
Patent 1,012,562
/div> File:Ballast-Unloader.jpg,

Ballast-Unloader
Patent 1,043,844
/div> File:Spring Suspension.jpg,

Spring Suspension
Patent 1,209,716
/div>

References

Primary Sources

* Detroit Public Library, Automotive History Collection - "King Papers" * Detroit Public Library, Burton Historical Collection - "King Papers" * Cornell University Library, Archives Division -"Charles King Papers" * Henry Ford Museum, The Ford Archives - "Charles Brady King items" * King, Charles B., ''A Golden Anniversary 1895-1945 / Personal Side Lights of America's First Automobile Race'', Privately Printed, 1945

Secondary Sources

* Hillstrom, Kevin, ''The industrial revolution in America: automobiles'', ABC-CLIO, 2006, * Lewis, Eugene w., ''Motor Memories, A Saga of Whirling Gears,'' Alved Publishers, 1947 * May, George S., ''A most unique machine: the Michigan origins of the American automobile industry'', Eerdmans, 1975 * May, George S., ''Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography,'' Bruccoli Clark Layman, 1990, * Olson, Sidney, ''Young Henry Ford: a picture history of the first forty years '', Wayne State University Press, 1963, * Powell, Sinclair, ''Michigan History'' magazine, Michigan Department of State, November 1985, vol 69, Issue 6, ISSN 0026-2196 * Woodford, Arthur M., ''This is Detroit, 1701-2001 '', Wayne State University Press, 2001, {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Charles B. 1868 births 1957 deaths American founders of automobile manufacturers Artists from Michigan American automotive pioneers American chief executives in the automobile industry 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Detroit People from Marin County, California Writers from Detroit