Charles Williams Nash

For other people of the same name, see Charles Nash (disambiguation).
Charles W. Nash
Born Charles Williams Nash
(1864-01-28)January 28, 1864
Cortland, Illinois
Died June 6, 1948(1948-06-06) (aged 84)
Beverly Hills, California
Nationality United States
Occupation Automobile industry entrepreneur and executive
Years active 1890–1936
Employer
Known for
Spouse(s) Jessie Halleck
Awards

Charles Williams Nash (January 28, 1864 — June 6, 1948) was a United States automobile entrepreneur and served as an executive in the automotive industry.

Early life

Nash was born to a farming family in Cortland, Illinois, on what is now Route 38 — Lincoln Highway. His mother was Anna E. "Annie" Cadwell (1829–1909) who married David L. Nash. Other Nash siblings included Mazovia (b. 1862), George C. (b. 1866) and Laura W. (b. 1868).

After Charles' parent's separation, at age 6, Charles worked as a farm-hand in Michigan as an indentured servant under an agreement that was to last until he was 21.[1] He had only three months of schooling per year while he was "bound out" to perform farm chores.[1] At age 12, Nash ran away and became a farm hand first in Grand Blanc, Michigan for $8 per month, then for Alexander McFarland in Mount Morris, Michigan for $12 per month. On McFarland's farm he learned the carpentry trade from John Shelben and formed the 'Adams & Nash' concern to press hay. While pressing hay on the Halleck farm, he met and married his future wife. On April 23, 1884, he married Jessie Halleck. Later, they then moved to Flint, Michigan, due to Jessie's poor health.[3] In 1890 where he was hired by William C. Durant of the Flint Road Cart Company which later became the Durant-Dort Carriage Company.[3]

Automobile industry

Durant hired him in 1890 at a wage of $1 per day as an upholstery stuffer and within six months, he was promoted to superintendent of the factory. And within ten years, he was promoted to vice president and general manager of the road cart company. [3]

In 1897, Nash had a chance to drive an early one-cylinder electric automobile in New York City, and became very interested in the commercial potential of this newly developed contraption.

Durant moved Nash to Buick to take over production ultimately becoming vice-president of Buick on 13 December 1910. In 1912, Nash hired Walter Chrysler from the Baldwin Locomotive Company in Pittsburgh to be the Buick Works Manager. [3][4]

On November 19, 1912, Nash became president of General Motors as voted on by the GM board. In the same time frame, Chrysler took over Buick was Chrysler. Nash got to work to make GM a more efficient operation by liquidating unprofitable plants and streamlining manufacturing. He arranged for GM to purchasing 51% of axlemaker Weston-Mott. Cost-cutting and higher sales were top priorities for the time frame. [3][4]


However, his reluctance to pay dividends to shareholders resulted in Nash being voted out of his position in 1915.

Nash then resolved never again to work for someone else. He bought out the Jeffery Motor Company in August 1916. In 1917, renamed it as Nash Motors. The 1917 Nash Model 671 was the first vehicle produced to bear the name of the new company's founder.[5] The new company was successful, with sales totaling 31,008 trucks and cars by 1919.[6]

In addition to running Nash Motors, Charles Nash was also president of the luxury car company LaFayette Motors until that company was bought out by Nash Motors in 1924.

Retirement

Nash retired in 1930 and succeed to become Chairman of the Board. His successor at the company was George W. Mason, who was recommended by Walter Chrysler. Mason arrived in 1937 after the successful merger of Nash with Kelvinator and the new company was named, Nash-Kelvinator. [3]

He lived in retirement for twelve years later and died at the age of 84 in Beverly Hills, California. His health failed at the death of his wife in 1947.[7] He died in 1948, and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale next to his wife.

Legacy

Nash is best known for responding to public demand by building a smaller, more economical and affordable cars.[2] Nash Motors was very successful marketing cars to North America's middle class. He is also recognized for lean operations in business that included scheduling production and material orders closely, carrying a small inventory, and having flexibility in meeting the changing market needs during the economic turmoil of the 1920s and 1930s.[2] Nash, is also credited with developing the straight-line conveyor belt assembly system that he first introduced at the Durant-Dort Carriage Company factory.[8]

Charles W. Nash's achievements have been summarized in the word "success":[9]

A man who, in the short space of nine years, has built up a business on which there is not a dollar of bonded indebtedness, whose stocks have a market value approximating $137,000,000, whose profits have exceeded $56,000,000, and whose bank balance tops $30,000,000, surely must be regarded as a very practical authority on what makes for success.
— Automotive Giants of America: Men Who Are Making Our Motor Industry

Gallery


References

  1. 1 2 3 Automotive Golden Jubilee Civic Committee (June 1946). "Automotive Pioneers". The Michigan Technic LXIV (8): 11, 22, 26. Retrieved 17 March 2016. Charles W. Nash, Beverly Hills, California, who headed some of the industry's largest companies in a long and colorful career
  2. 1 2 3 "Charles W. Nash - 1975 Inductee". Automobile Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nash story dates back to bicycle-carriage era". Blue Island Sun Standard. 8 December 1949.
  4. 1 2 Landworth, Richard M. (1986). The Complete History of General Motors 1908-1986. Beekman House. ISBN 0-517-60413-2.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Albert L.; Musciano, Walter A. (1977). Automobiles of the World. Simon and Schuster. p. 280. ISBN 9780671224851.
  6. ↑ "Overview: Charles Warren Nash". Motorbase. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "C.W. Nash Near Death As His Wife Succumbs". The New York Times. 20 August 1947. p. 25. Retrieved 17 March 2016. Charles W. Nash, one of the nation's pioneer auto makers, took a turn for the worse and was near death himself today after he was told that the wife he had married sixty-three years ago had died last night.
  8. ↑ Lewis, Albert L.; Musciano, Walter A. (1977). Automobiles of the World. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780671224851.
  9. ↑ Forbes, B.C.; Foster, O.D. Automotive Giants of America: Men Who Are Making Our Motor Industry. Pacific Northwest Region of the Nash Car Club of America , from: B.C. Forbes Publishing, 1926, pp. 211-224. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2016.

External links

Timeline

Business positions
Preceded by
Thomas Neal		 President General Motors
1912–1916 		Succeeded by
William C. Durant
Preceded by
Thomas B. Jeffery Company		 Chairman and CEO of Nash Motors
1916–1936 		Succeeded by
George W. Mason
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