THE BROTHERS DODGE
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by Roger 'Dodger' Hartley
John F. Dodge & Horace E. Dodge
Over the years there have been various companies formed by and operated by brothers. Most notably the
Wright Brothers in aviation, the Smith Brothers in cough medicine, the Stanley Brothers in steam cars, the
Graham brothers, and the Dodge Brothers. I would like to elaborate on the later pair.
These extraordinary brothers were born in Niles, Mi. John Francis in 1864 and Horace Elgin in 1868.
Their father Daniel Rugg Dodge operated a foundry and machine shop for railroad standpipes and machinery
with his brothers Edwin, and Caleb.
Their extended family included an older sister Della and half-sister Laura and half- brother
Charles, older children of Daniel who had been a widower before his marriage to Maria Casto . Maria cared for
the family and encouraged them to work hard and aspire to better lives. She sent them to Sunday school where
they were given strict Methodist training. The children did well in school in an era when many children left
school to become self-sufficient. High school graduation was considered an accomplishment even for families
in good standing.
As boys the brothers showed distinctly different temperaments for their free time. Horace was drawn to
the St. Joseph river where he liked to fish and dreamed of having a boat of his own, a powerfill craft to be the
envy of other navigators. John, however had no such aspirations. He seemed drawn to the hillsides and woods
where he liked to walk in among the flowers and trees. He pined for a time when he could have a farm with
orchards and cool wooded trees.
In 1882 the family, after John's graduation from high school at age 17, moved to Battle Creek, Mi.
Horace was only 14 at the time. Daniel tried to open a machine shop but in 1884 moved again to Port Huron. In
1886 they moved, at the brothers insistence to Detroit. They worked there in the machine shop of Murphy Iron
Works. Later in 1892 John married Ivy Hawkins. They were both 28 at the time. The brother's interests moved
across the Detroit river to work at the Dominion Typography Co. They lived in Detroit and ferried across the
river. John soon worked his way up to shop superintendent. A few years after his marriage, John became ill with
tuberculosis, called Consumption or 'the white plague'. He had to lay off for a couple months. Horace took a
second job part time with Leland, Falconer & Norton to help out with finances. No doubt Horace gained
experience working with Henry M, Leland. Horace married Christina Anna Thompson in 1896 during a lunch
break at the Windsor, Ontario plant. Christina dropped the 'P' from her last name and became Anna Thomson
Dodge. The newlyweds lived with parents Daniel and Maria. Daniel died in 1897 at age 97. After Daniel's
death Maria continued to live with Horace and Anna until late 1901 when John's wife Ivy died. Mother moved
in with John to care for the children, even though she was in wheelchair at the time. John and Ivy had three
children, Winifred, Isabel Cleaves, and John Duval. Horace and Anna had two children, Delphine lone, and
Horace Elgin Jr. These red haired brothers complimented each other in many ways, John a good mechanic, was
the more practical businessman. Horace was the inveterate tinkerer, inventor, dreamer and lover of music. He
once saved some money when a young man and bought a violin.
Since bicycles were a major means of transportation at that time, Horace worked on and perfected a
sealed ball bearing retainer for cycle wheels. The brothers applied for a Patent together July 20 1895 and it was
granted on Sept.15 1896. Excited over prospects for application of this invention the brothers searched for an
opportunity to launch themselves into the competitive business world. They found this in a partnership with
Fredrick Evans in 1897. They leased the typography company's building and facilities and began producing
Evans & Dodge bicycles with the new bearings. The brothers continued working as employees of the Canadian
Typography Co. which then manufactured type setting machines, bicycles, and other products. In 1899 Evans
helped establish the National Cycle and Automobile Co. ltd., a Canadian subsidiary of the National Bicycle Co.
National Cycle discontinued the E&D bikes but continued to pay royalties to the Brothers and offered
them jobs. John became General Manager of the National Cycle plant at Hamilton, Ontario. Horace remained in
Windsor at the former Canadian Typography Co. Later National Cycle gained control of E.C Stearns co.
another Canadian bicycle manufacturer. John met with Stearns general manager Fredrick J. Haynes. After
finalizing details of consolidation John offered Haynes a job. They became friends and later Haynes became
general manager of the not yet established Dodge Brothers Company.
In the summer of 1900 Canada Cycle & Motor Co. ltd. bought National Cycle Co. and shortly thereafter
the Dodge Brothers sold their interests to CCM for $7,500 and opened their own shop in Detroit where they
officially established 'The Dodge Brothers Co.'. Ransom E. Olds contracted with the Dodges and with Leland
and Falconer in 1901 to build engines for his curved dash Olds car. After an unfortunate fire in the Olds plant
that order to the Dodges was followed shortly with an order for 2000 transmissions. During this time the
brothers were building various steam engines, stationary engines, and apparently a continued service of repairs
and parts for typesetting machines and presses for nearly 200 newspapers across the country, a likely
continuation of the Canadian typography business. This was short lived, however as in July 1901 they issued a
notification that they had severed financial relations with the Canadian Typography Co. and would no longer
provide work on typography machines or typefaces. During this time Horace did indulge in his interest in boats
and built a steam launch and later a larger yacht.
In Feb.1903 the brothers made a series of major decisions. For one thing they decided the Boydell
building was not large enough for continued business and built a larger factory on Monroe Avenue nearby. The
second was to sign a contract with Henry Ford to build substantial components for a Ford car, even before the
Ford Motor Company existed. This was Henry's third attempt to get into the automobile business. At that time
the brothers weighed the work with Olds and the new work with Ford and decided they could only do one or the
other. They chose to go with the Ford deal. The initial contract was for 650 sets of 'running gear' in the form of
engine, transmission, axles mounted on a frame at $250.00 ea. These were referred to as 'Machines'. Initially
they were to supply 60 'machines'. At the completion of those first 60 machines, if Ford had defaulted, they
would at least have the machines to sell as assets. In order to start that contract the Brothers spent $60,000 for
retooling and raw materials. They were having trouble getting paid by Ford from the beginning. The Brothers,
in mid May met with Alexander Malcomson one of the Ford investors. The newly incorporated Ford Motor Co.
issued stock in June '03 with a nominal value of $100,000 even though they had only $28,000 invested. With
the Ford Motor Co. habitually behind in payments, the Dodges in June '03 agreed to write off overdue
payments of $7,000 and extended Ford an additional $3,000 in exchange for 10% of Ford stock. The rest, as
they say, was history. The Dodges in Sept. '09 again moved into a larger plant on a 24 acre location in
Hamtramck, just outside the Detroit city limits. They continued using both facilities until 1911 when they sold
the Monroe plant to the Richmond & Backus Co., except for the brass foundry on the west side. Before
finalizing commitments with Ford, the Brothers in 1912 hired Fredrick Haynes to become 'Works Manager'.
The Dodge Brothers continued building parts for several models of Fords and had finally finished
contractural obligations to Ford in June '14 and having prepared for some time, started seriously an effort to
bring to the world a creation of their own design. The first Dodge Brothers car rolled off the line Nov. 14~
1914. This car was, to say the least, something entirely new to the automotive industry. It had an 'all steel' body
by E.G. Budd. This in a time when nearly all cars had a wooden framework with stamped steel or aluminum
panels nailed over. It was a touring car with 4 cylinder engine and 12 volt electric system with a North East
starter/generator. The projected price of their new car at $785.00 was considered firm by Horace even though
Fredrick Haynes cautioned that these cars as designed would cost more than that to produce. Horace's answer,
according to history, was to do what is necessary to cut costs and make it happen. There was supposed to be an
accompanying roadster but some problems with the complex stamping around the back of the seat and sides
caused tearing in the metal. Budd blamed the problems on the sheet metal supplier providing incorrect alloys.
After the 'prototype' roadster on chassis #32, the delayed roadster finally showed up around car 14,500. The
Dodge Brothers had continued success. These open cars were followed shortly in 1917 by 'closed cars' in the
form of a coupe and sedan and shortly after by two commercial cars an open screenside and a panel delivery.
The brothers' philosophy regarding their car was to make continued ongoing upgrades rather than the prevailing
concept of annual model changes as the rest of the industry seemed to do. Each upgrade was to be backward
compatible such as to not make previous models appear obsolete or outdated.
In the fall of 1917 The Dodges met with Secretary of War Newton Baker regarding manufacture of
recoil mechanisms for a couple of French 155 mm Howitzers. The French could produce only 5 of these a day.
The Dodges promised to build 50 a day beginning Mar '18. Working 6 days a week production was up to 35
units a day. This was not exactly up to the promised 50 but impressive non-the-less. The Germans, who
captured several of these guns, apparently were not able to recreate the complicated delicate recoil mechanism
in their plants at the time. By late April 1919 when their contract ended, they had finished 1,601 of the Howitzer
recoil mechanisms.
Even after these brothers were considered wealthy by most comparisons, they were more comfortable in
the shop among the workers rather than in 'high society'. It was apparently their wives who prompted them to
gain 'social respectability'. They had built large mansions and commissioned some of Detroit's largest yachts.
They also made charitable donations to various Detroit institutions. John selved as a member of Detroit Water
Commission and Street Railway Commission and was involved in the Michigan Republican party. Horace,
however in his own way was responsible for the development of a world~lass symphony orchestra for Detroit.
After Horace's death, Victor Herbert in '21 composed 'The Dodge Brothers March" in appreciation of Horace's
contributions to music.
The Dodge Brothers jump in automobile production in 1919 placed them in contention for number two
position neck and neck with Chevrolet and Buick behind Ford this year. The Brothers continued success was
short lived, though as John Francis died on Jan. 14th 1920 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City. Horace
Elgin passed away less than a year later on Dec. 10th 1920 in Palm Beach, Florida. We can only speculate what the
Brothers might have accomplished, had they lived another 15 or so years. They were already planning to
emulate Ford in producing the iron and steel for their automobiles at the time of their untimely demise.
The company did some reorganization around the deaths of its founders. Horace saw the writing on the
wall after John's death and anticipated his own demise. He arranged for a change of leadership in that the three
men with whom the brothers had relationships would continue to operate in a manner they would approve and
not disassemble the company. Fredrick Haynes would become President and General Manager, Howard
Bloomer who had been legal advisor would be 'Directing Head', and John Ballantyne who had been a financial
advisor assisted on the board. The already burgeoning dealership structure was managed by C.W. Matheson as
sales manager. The company continued in the 20s with Haynes conservative style at the helm and flourished.
Perhaps one of the most important decisions made by Haynes was the alliance with the Graham Brothers,
Joseph B., Robert C., and Ray A. They were a manufacturers of medium and heavy duty trucks. The Graham
Brothers, Inc. was formed in 1917 to produce farm tractors, and kits to convert automobile chassis (primarily
the Ford Model T) into trucks. In April '21 the Dodge Brothers and Graham Brothers announced a partnership
agreement that would provide an outlet for Graham Brothers trucks to be sold through the established Dodge
Brothers dealer network which by 1924 had over 3,500 outlets nationwide.
Although Fredrick Haynes remained with Dodge Brothers until 1928, He was no longer in control after
1925 because the Dodge widows, Matilda Rausch Dodge and Anna Thomson Dodge decided to sell the company. It is not
known precisely why this was done. The widows informally placed the company on the market in Jan '25.
There were dozens of offers and it finally came down to two. General Motors represented by J.P. Morgan and a
New York investment banker Dillon Reed. The later won out with an offer of $146,000,000 cash thus ending
the Dodge Brothers family ownership in the business but also ending Haynes' control. Dillon Reed brought in
its own leadership in the form of Edward 0. Wilmer who replaced Haynes. Haynes was appointed 'Chalrman of
the Board', primarily a ceremonial position.
The new leadership tried to operate in a field in which it had no apparent knowledge and made some
faulty decisions that caused the struggling company to be finally sold to Walter P. Chrysler in July 1928 less than
three years after its acquisition. Under Wilmer's leadership Dodge Brothers bought out Graham Brothers
outright and introduced the new "Senior Six" line using the Graham Brothers engine in May of 1927 and the new
'Fast Four" in August 1927. These were followed by the "Victory Six" in Jan. 1928 and the "Standard Six" in March.
The first
thing Walter P. Chrysler did in Aug.1928 was discontinue the Fast Four. Chrysler obviously enjoyed the long established
dealership network, manufacturing facilities, and expanded infrastructure.
The data contained herein were excerpted from the following sources:
1 - A booklet "The John F. Dodge Story" a Meadowbrook Hall publication of the Oakland University,
Rochester, Mi.
2- A series of articles in Cars & Parts in the late 70s and early 80s by Don Butler
3- A book "The Dodge Brothers, the men, the motorcar, and the legacy" by Dr. Charles K. Hyde.
Dr. Hyde was with the Wayne State University History Dept. Detroit, Mi.