Thomas B. Jeffery Company
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Thomas B. Jeffery and his 1897 Rambler prototype |
Thomas B. Jeffery was one of America's first men interested in automobiles in the late 19th century, and in
1897, he built the first
Rambler (car) motor car. Thomas B. Jeffery was serious enough about automobiles to sell his stake in
Gormully & Jeffery to the
American Bicycle Company to finance the new car company.
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Charles T. Jeffery driving a 1901 Rambler model A |
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Charles T. Jeffery(left) Charles W. Nash (right) |
Charles T. Jeffery's (Thomas' son) experimental prototypes of 1901 (Models A & B) used at least two radical innovations -
steering wheels and
front-mounted engines. By the time Charles was ready for production in 1902, his father had talked him out of these wild dreams and convinced him to stick with tillers and engines under the seat.
From 1902 until 1908, Jeffery moved steadily to bigger, more reliable models. Jeffery cars were built on assembly lines (the second manufacturer to adopt them -- Ransom Olds was first), and in
1903 Jeffery sold 1,350 Ramblers. By
1905, Jeffery more than doubled this number. One reason may have been because Charles went back to the steering wheel before
1904. In
1907, Jeffery was building a large variety of different body styles and sizes. Among them was a five-passenger, $2,500 Rambler weighing 2,600 pounds and powered by a 40-hp engine.
In April, 1910, Thomas B. Jeffery, died in Pompeii, Italy and in June of that year the business was incorporated under the name of the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, with Charles T. Jeffery as the president and general manager,
H. W. Jeffery, vice president and treasurer.
In 1915, Charles T. Jeffery, changed the automotive branding from Rambler to Jeffery to honor the founder, his father, Thomas B. Jeffery.
As of 1916,
G. H. Eddy replaced H.W. Jeffery as the treasurer so H.W. Jeffery could focus on the position of vice president.
G. W. Greiner was the secretary,
L. H. Bill- general manager,
J. W. DeCou- factory manager, and
Al Recke was the sales manager.
Charles T. Jeffery survived the sinking of the Lusitania (a British luxury liner torpedoed by the Germans in WWI) in 1915 and decided to spend the rest of his life in a more enjoyable manner.
Charles W. Nash resigned from General Motors, saw an opportunity and bought the Thomas B. Jeffery Company in August of 1916.
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The Thos. B. Jeffery Factory |
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The Thos. B. Jeffery Co.'s employees |
Jeffery, with the money from his sale of
Gormully & Jeffery, bought the old
Sterling Bicycle Company's factory in
Kenosha, Wisconsin. The original factory was only 600 ft x 100 ft but, by
1916, had grown to cover 101 acres.
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A 1915 Jeffery Quad Truck |
During the First World War, Jeffery designed a four wheel drive truck, known as the "
Quad Truck" (aka. "
Jeffery Quad" & "
Nash Quad"), which assisted the Allied effort. These unique vehicles saw heavy service under
General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing.
1897 - Jeffery's builds a rear-engine Rambler prototype using the Rambler name previously used on a highly successful line of bicycles made by G&J.
1899 - Positive reviews at the 1899 Chicago International Exhibition & Tournament and the first National Automobile Show in New York prompt the Jefferys to enter the automobile business.
1900 (Dec 6) - Thomas B. Jeffery finalizes a $65,000 deal to buy the Kenosha, factory of the defunct Sterling Bicycle Co. with money from the sale of his interest in the Gormally & Jeffery Bicycle Mfg. Co. of Chicago.
1901 - Two more prototypes, Models A and B, are made.
1902 - First production Ramblers - the $750 Model C open runabout and the $850 Model D (the same car with a folding top). Both are powered by an 8-hp, 98cu. in., 1-cyl. engine mounted beneath the seat, and are steered by a right-side tiller. First-year production totals 1,500 units making Jeffery the second-largest car maker behind Oldsmobile.
1910 (Mar 21) - Thomas B. Jeffery dies while on vacation in Italy.
1910 (Jun 10) - Charles incorporates the firm as a $3 million public stock company.
1914 - The Rambler name is replaced with the Jeffery moniker in honor of the founder.
1916 (Aug) - Charles Jeffery sells the company to former General Motors Corp. President Charles W. Nash.
1917 - Charles Nash renames the Jeffery Motor Company, Nash Motors after himself.
