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Henry Studebaker was a farmer, blacksmith, and wagon-maker who lived near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. By 1840 he had moved to Ohio and taught his five sons to make wagons. They all went into that business as they grew westward with the country.
Clement and Henry, Jr. became blacksmiths and foundrymen at South Bend, Indiana. They first made metal parts for freight wagons and later expanded into the manufacture of wagons. John made wagons in California and Peter in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The first major expansion in their business came from their being in place to meet the needs of the California Gold Rush in 1849Events January 23 Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her MD by the Medical Institute of Geneva, New York, thus becoming the United States' first woman doctor January 31 Corn Laws abolished in the United Kingdom February 14 In New York City, James Knox Polk be.
When the gold rush settled down, John returned to IndianaIndiana meaning the "Land of the Indians", is a state of the United States with its capital Indianapolis. postal abbreviation for the state is IN . A resident of Indiana is called a Hoosier. USS Indiana was named in honor of this state. History Indiana wa and bought out Henry's share of the business. They brought in their youngest brother Jacob and incorporated in 1852. Expansion continued to support westward migration, but the next major increase came from supplying wagons for the Union Army in the American Civil WarThe American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as "the U. the Union," " the North," or "the Yankees"; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as "the Confederat. After the war they reviewed what they had accomplished and set a direction for the company.
The reorganized into the Studebaker Brother's Manufacturing Company in 1868Events January 3 Meiji Emperor declares " Meiji Restoration", his own restoration to full power, against the supporters of the Tokugawa Shogunate. January 10 Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu declares emperor's declaration "illegal" and attacks Kyoto. Pro-Emperor, built around the motto of "Always give more than you promise". By this time the railroad and steamship companies had become the big freight movers in the east. So they set their sights on supplying individuals and farmers the ability to move themselves and their goods. Peter's business became a branch operation.
During the height of westward migration and wagon trainA wagon train is a long chain of wagons, each moving together and forming a line. Wagon trains were common in the Old West, in other places of the world different forms of caravans and convoys were often used, such as camel trains in Australia. See train pioneering, half of the wagons were Studebakers. They made about a quarter of them, and manufactured the metal fittings to sell to other builders in Missouri for another quarter.
The company experimented with motor vehicles as early as 1897Events January 1 Brooklyn, New York merges with New York City. January 4 A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosheri, son-in-law of the Oba of Benin. This leads to a Punitive Expedition against Benin. February 2 The Pennsylvania state capitol is dest. Early in the 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre they began to make trucks. They also brought their sons, sister's husbands, and nephews into the business, reorganizing again in 19111911 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January-June January 1 Northern Territory is separated from South Australia January 3 In London, a shootout between Russian anarchists and the Scots Guard January 10 Major Jimmi into the Studebaker Corporation. By the 1920s they were manufacturing automobiles, trucks, and parts.
From the 1920s to the 1960s many style and engineering innovations came off the South Bend and other assembly lines. Studebaker continued to build models that supported the average American and their need for transportation and mobility. But in the 1950s it stopped being a family-owned company after four generations. Professional financial managers stressed short term earnings rather than long term vision. There was enough momentum to keep going for another ten years, but stiff competition and price cutting by the Big Three doomed the enterprise.
(In the 1980's, a multi-national panel of renowned automobile journalists, voted the 1953 Studebaker Starliner, pictured above, as "One of the top ten most beautiful automobiles ever made".)
The company merged with the Packard Motor Car Company in 1954, and was named Studebaker-Packard through 1962, although the Packard line of cars was dropped in 1958. During this period it became American agent for Mercedes-Benz and many Studebaker dealers sold that brand as well.
Financial constraints dictated that new models, including the compact "Lark" (1959) and "Avanti" sports car (1963) be based on old chassis and engine designs, and were not enough to stop the financial bleeding. The company closed its operations in South Bend in December 1963, and continued production at its Canadian factory in Hamilton, Ontario until May, 1966, when it left the automobile business. The company continued as Studebaker-Worthington until being acquired by McGraw-Edison in 1979, and McGraw-Edison was in turn acquired in 1985 by Cooper Industries, which sold off all its auto-parts divisions to Federal-Mogul some years later.
As reported by Forbes magazine in 2004 in an article on companies which survived the 1929 stock market crash, the remains of the automaker still exist as Studebaker-Worthington Leasing, a subsidiary of State Bank of Long Island (amex: STB).
What is chiefly left today is a museum in South Bend, Indiana. The Avanti models have been produced by other makers off and on since Studebaker folded, but no longer in South Bend.