Image Credit: Michigan County Histories
William Durant was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1861.
He dropped out of high school at age 17 to work at his grandfather's lumberyard in Flint, Michigan.
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His grandfather, Henry H. Crapo, was Michigan's governor from 1864 to 1868.
Despite that, he worked in the lumberyard and later sold cigars.
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Durant was 24 years old and a successful businessman when he first rode a sturdy two-wheeled cart.
Amazed, he bought the small horse cart factory that made it for $1,500 with borrowed money the next day.
Image Credit: Durant-Dort Carriage Company
Durant convinced Dallas Dort, the manager of a local hardware store, to be his partner in the Durant-Dort Carriage Company.
The business went from a $2,000 investment to a $2 million company in 15 years.
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Durant was already a millionaire by the time horseless carriages started entering the market in 1900.
He wasn’t interested in cars at first. He thought they were noisy and dangerous contraptions.
Image Credit: Durant-Dort Carriage Company
But Durant was willing to give it a shot when James Whiting of Flint Wagon Works asked him to lead Buick Motor Company.
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Buick surpassed the combined production of Ford and Cadillac in 1908.
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In 1907, there were talks of merging the four biggest automakers: Buick, Ransom E. Olds, Maxwell-Briscoe, and Ford.
But everyone soon backed out except Durant.
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Durant proposed a holding company that would include Buick and Oldsmobile: General Motors.
Oldsmobile agreed. Durant also bought 22 companies of all kinds, including Buick, Oakland Car Company (Pontiac), and Cadillac.
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Durant lost control of GM in 1910 to bankers due to debts. He was down but not out.
He founded the Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911 with Louis Chevrolet.
Durant was elected president of GM again in 1916.
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Before he retired, Durant turned GM 8 times larger than when it was while bankers were managing it.
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But the Great Depression got in his way and he had to file for bankruptcy in 1936.
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Without him, General Motors Corporation would not be the multinational automotive titan that it is today.
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General Motors is home to some of the best brands in the industry, including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.
It also produces OE and aftermarket parts through GM Genuine Parts and ACDelco.
Image Credit: Library of Congress