William S. Knudsen
William Signius Knudsen (March 25, 1879 – April 27, 1948) was a leading automotive industry executive. His experience and success as a key senior manager in the operations sides of Ford Motor Company and later General Motors led the Franklin Roosevelt Administration to commission him as a Lieutenant General in the United States Army to help lead the United States' war materiel production efforts for World War II.
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[edit] Background
Knudsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His name was originally Signius Wilhelm Poul Knudsen. He immigrated to the United States arriving in New York in February 1900.
[edit] Career
Knudsen was working for the John R. Keim Company of Buffalo, New York when the Ford Motor Company bought it in 1911 for its steel-stamping experience and tooling.[1] Knudsen worked for Ford from 1911[2] to 1921,[3] a decade that saw the formative development of the modern assembly line and true mass production.[4] Working first for the Ford Motor Company and later for General Motors, Knudsen became an expert on mass production and a skilled manager. Knudsen was president of the Chevrolet Division of General Motors from 1924[5] to 1937, and was president of General Motors from 1937[5] to 1940. He was awarded the Vermilye Medal in 1941.
In 1940, President Roosevelt asked Knudsen to come to Washington to help with war production. In January 1942, Knudsen was commissioned a Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army, the only civilian ever to join the Army at such a high initial rank.[6] He worked as a consultant and troubleshooter for the War Department. He served in the Army until June 1, 1945.
[edit] Personal life
Knudsen was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1944 and again in 1945. He was also appointed a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog by the nation of Denmark in 1930 and was promoted Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1946.[7] Knudsen was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame during 1968. Knudsen was the father of Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen who also became a prominent automobile industry executive.
[edit] References
- ^ Hounshell 1984, pp. 224–225.
- ^ Hounshell 1984, p. 225.
- ^ Hounshell 1984, p. 264.
- ^ Hounshell 1984, pp. 217–261.
- ^ a b Hounshell 1984, p. 265.
- ^ "Knudsen the Only Civilian To Enter Army at His Rank", The New York Times: 9, January 17, 1942, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0D14F73D5D157B93C5A8178AD85F468485F9.
- ^ North American Medal Recipient Index (by William P. Jones. The Order of Dannebrog and other Royal Scandinavian medals. 2009) [1])
[edit] Other sources
- Hounshell, David A. (1984), From the American System to Mass Production, 1800-1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States, Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 978-0-8018-2975-8, LCCN 83-016269
- Beasley, Norman. Knudsen: a Biography (New York: Whittlesey House, 1947)
- Knudsen, William S. (Current Biography, 1940:464-466)
- Knudsen, William Signius (American National Biographny, 12:843-844)
- William Signius Knudsen (Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography: The Automobile Industry, 1920-1980. Pages 265-283)
[edit] External links
- William S. Knudsen Biography
- Time Magazine cover. October 7, 1940
- William S. Knudsen and Clara Elisabeth Knudsen Rebild Fund
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. |
President General Motors 1937-1940 |
Succeeded by Charles E. Wilson |
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This automobile biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1879 births
- 1948 deaths
- People from Copenhagen
- American businesspeople
- People in the automobile industry
- American people of Danish descent
- Ford executives
- General Motors former executives
- United States Army generals
- Danish emigrants to the United States
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
- Automotive biography stubs
