Henry Martyn Leland was born on February 16, 1843, and died on March 26, 1932. He was an American machinist, inventor, engineer, and car company founder. He started two of the top American luxury car brands, Cadillac and Lincoln.

Early years

Henry M. Leland was born in 1843 to Leander and Zilpha Leland, making him the youngest of eight children in Vermont. Some sources say he was born in Danville, while others mention Barton; however, he grew up in Barton. He studied engineering and learned about precise machine manufacturing at the Brown & Sharpe plant in Providence, Rhode Island. Later, he worked in the firearms industry, including at Colt. These experiences taught him about toolmaking, measuring techniques, and manufacturing methods that were common in the 19th century.

He used this knowledge in the early motor industry as early as 1870, serving as a main owner of the machine shop Leland & Faulconer. He also supplied engines to Ransom E. Olds’s Olds Motor Vehicle Company, which later became known as Oldsmobile. In addition, he invented the electric barber clippers and briefly produced a special toy train called the Leland-Detroit Monorail.

Cadillac

Leland created the Cadillac automobile, which General Motors later purchased. In 1902, William Murphy and his partners at the Henry Ford Company hired Leland to evaluate the company's factory and tools before liquidation. Leland completed the appraisal and advised Murphy and his partners that liquidation was a mistake. He suggested they reorganize and build a new car powered by a single-cylinder engine he had originally developed for Oldsmobile. The directors quickly renamed the company Cadillac. At Cadillac, Leland used modern manufacturing methods in the new automotive industry, such as interchangeable parts. Alfred P. Sloan, longtime president and chair of General Motors, said Leland was "one of those mainly responsible for bringing the technique of interchangeable parts into automobile manufacturing."

The Cadillac won the Dewar Trophy for 1908, which was presented in 1909.

Leland sold Cadillac to General Motors on July 29, 1909, for $4.5 million. He remained as an executive until 1917. With Charles Kettering, he developed a self-starter for Cadillac. This innovation earned Cadillac its second Dewar Trophy in 1913. After a Cadillac engineer named Byron Carter was seriously injured when a starting crank struck him in the head during an engine backfire, Leland encouraged Kettering to create a safe electric starter.

Leland left General Motors due to a disagreement with founder William C. Durant about producing materials during World War I. Cadillac had been tasked with building Liberty aircraft engines, but Durant opposed the war efforts.

Lincoln

In 1917, Leland started the Lincoln Motor Company with a $10,000,000 wartime contract to build the V12 Liberty aircraft engine. The company was named after Abraham Lincoln, the first president Leland ever voted for (1864). After the war, the company changed its structure, and the Lincoln Motor Company Plant was adjusted to make luxury automobiles. The V8 engine used in the first Lincoln cars is believed to be inspired by the Liberty engine's design.

In 1922, Lincoln became unable to pay its debts and was bought by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company. Ford's offer of $8 million was the only one made during a sale after the company went bankrupt. Ford had first offered $5 million, but the judge refused it because the company's value was estimated at $16 million. Ford intentionally offered a lower price as a way to take revenge for Leland's role in starting Cadillac.

After the sale, Leland and his son Wilfred continued to manage the company, thinking they would still have full control. Ford sent some of its employees to Lincoln, claiming they wanted to learn from the company. However, it soon became clear that these employees were there to improve production and prevent further financial losses. Tensions between Ford's workers and Leland's team worsened over time.

On June 10, 1922, Ford executive Ernest Liebold arrived at Lincoln to request Wilfred Leland's resignation. When Liebold showed he had full authority from Henry Ford, Henry Leland also resigned. That afternoon, both men were asked to leave the factory they had helped create.

Today, Lincoln remains part of Ford's luxury car line. Leland had no connection to the Lincoln Motor Car Works, a brand sold by Sears-Roebuck from 1905 to 1915.

Politics

Progressivism in Detroit was supported by upper-middle-class men and women who believed it was their responsibility to improve society by removing the influence of corrupt politicians who worked with dishonest saloon owners. Leland was a key leader in the Detroit Citizens League. Business, professional, and Protestant religious groups in Detroit supported the League. In 1918, the League worked to create a new city charter, passed an anti-saloon law, and promoted the open shop, which allowed workers to get jobs without being part of a labor union.

Personal life

Leland was the son of Leander Leland and Zilpha Tifft. He married Ellen Rhoda Hull, who was born on April 24, 1846, and died on January 15, 1914. Ellen was the daughter of Elias Hull. Together, Leland and Ellen had three children: Martha Gertrude, born in 1868 and died in 1912; Wilfred Chester, born on November 7, 1869, and died in 1958; and Miriam Edith, born in 1872 and died in 1894. All three children were born in Millbury, Massachusetts.

Henry M. Leland died in Detroit on March 26, 1932. He is buried in Woodmere Cemetery there.