David Dunbar Buick was born on September 17, 1854, and died on March 5, 1929. He was a Scottish-born American inventor who is famous for starting the Buick Motor Company. He led this company and its earlier version from 1899 to 1906. During this time, he played an important role in creating one of the most successful car brands in United States history.

Early life, family and education

Buick was born in Arbroath, Scotland. When he was two years old, Buick's family moved to Detroit, Michigan. He stopped attending school in 1869.

Career

Buick left school and began working for a company that made plumbing supplies. In 1882, the company faced financial problems, and Buick and a partner bought it. Around this time, Buick showed talent as an inventor, creating many new ideas, such as a lawn sprinkler and a way to permanently coat cast iron with vitreous enamel. This process allowed the production of "white" bathtubs at lower costs. This method is still used today for enameling cast iron baths, although the market for these tubs has decreased. With Buick's inventions and his partner's strong business skills, the company became successful.

During the 1890s, Buick became interested in internal combustion engines and started experimenting with them. He spent less time on the plumbing business, which caused his partner to become frustrated. Their partnership ended, and the company was sold.

Buick now had time and money to focus on engines. In 1899, he started a new company called the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company. The goal was to sell engines for use in farming. Soon, Buick shifted focus to building complete cars instead of just engines. He prioritized research and development over manufacturing and sales. This led to his money being used up by early 1902, with only one car built.

In early 1902, Buick founded the Buick Manufacturing Company. The company aimed to sell engines to other car makers and also produce and sell its own cars. Problems with manufacturing and development arose, and by the end of 1902, Buick had no money left and only one car to show for his work. However, his focus on development led to the creation of the revolutionary "Valve-in-Head" overhead valve engine. This design made engines more powerful than the side valve engines used by other companies at the time. Overhead valve engines are still used by most car makers today, though only General Motors (GM) and Chrysler regularly produce the "push-rod" version. Since overhead cam engines are a type of overhead valve engine, all modern engines are based on Buick's invention.

Buick ran out of money again and in 1903 borrowed $5,000 (equivalent to $179,000 in 2025) from a friend and car enthusiast named Benjamin Briscoe. With this money, Buick formed the Buick Motor Company, which later became a key part of the General Motors empire.

In 1906, Buick accepted a severance package and left the company he had founded, keeping only one share of the company. William C. Durant, then president of Buick, bought this share for $100,000 (equivalent to $3,600,000 in 2025).

After failed investments in California oil and Florida land, and an attempt with his son Tom to make carburetors, Buick briefly returned to the automotive industry in 1921 as president of Lorraine Motors, a short-lived company. In 1923, he designed the Dunbar, a car prototype.

In an interview with historian Bruce Catton in 1928, Buick admitted he was nearly broke, even unable to afford a telephone, and worked as an instructor at the Detroit School of Trades. He died of colon cancer on March 5, 1929, at age 74 and was buried at Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit.

Theodore F. McManus noted, "Fame beckoned to David Buick. He sipped from the cup of greatness, and then spilled what it held." In 2000, automotive historian Vincent Curcio observed, "To date, over 35,000,000 motor cars have been built in his name, which will never be lost to history."

Buick was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1974.