Kaufman Thuma Keller (27 November 188521 January 1966), was an American corporate executive who served as the president of

Chrysler Corporation FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...

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 General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing four automobile brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, ...

(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 of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobile brands and was the company that established General Motors ...

from 1916 to 1919. He quickly rose to become a vice president of

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

in 1921, later becoming a vice president for

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

. 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. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

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 The Army Science Board (ASB) provides advice about army science to senior military leaders. The ASB is a Federal Advisory Committee organized under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. It is the United States Department of the Army senior scienti ...

. Keller was also a 33rd degree

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

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 the highest civilian decoration of the United States in the gift of the president. Created during World War II, it was awarded by the president of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptiona ...

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 Awards and decorations of the United States military, military decorations which are issued by the Department of the Air Force to airmen of the United States Air Force and ...

. 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

External links