Walter Percy Chrysler
 
Walter P Chrysler, born April 2 1875, died August 18 1940, was a German-American automobile pioneer.
 
The origins of the name Kruessler, Crysler, and Chrysler are first found in Switzerland, where the name gained a significance reputation for its contributions to Medieval society. 
 
Chrysler is listed as an "American spelling of Kreisler," in Eldon C. Smith's New Dictionary of American Family Names.
 
Kreisler means "one who made utensils of earthenware; a potter; one who produced and sold groats; and one who had curly hair [Smith, 288].
 
Research is related to the Crysler spelling of the name. The German Cryslers were loyal to the American cause during the Revolutionary War against the English. The Chryslers (Walter Chrysler's branch) were Loyalists. The addition of the "H" was to distinguish themselves from those who stayed in the United States. Other families kept the Crysler spelling on both sides of the border.
 
So Walter, of German-American parentage, was born in Wamego, Kansas, and his family soon moved to Ellis, Kansas, where he spent most of his spare time tinkering with samll models of locomotive engines. His father was an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad, and thorugh his father's influence, his facination with engines grew. His first job was delivering groceries in town. From there he became a janitor working in the Union Pacific Railroad shops for a dollar a day.  He worked his way up as a locomotive mechanic and finally as a works manager for the American Locomotive Company (ALCO).  He also lived in Olewein, Iowa, where there is a small park dedicated to him. When he died he was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, New York.
 
His automotive career began when the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) decided to diversify into the automotive business. Chrysler was the plant manger.  ALCO had some racing sucess but less in the way of sales success. Chrysler saw the way things were going and took a job at the Buick Motor Company in Flint, Michigan in 1911, two years before ALCO quit the automobile business.
 

In 1916, Billy Durant, who founded General Motors in 1908, had retaken back GM from bankers who had taken over the company. Chrysler, who was closely tied to the bankers, submitted his resignation to Durant, then based in New York City.

Durant took the first train to Flint to make an attempt to keep Chrysler at the helm of Buick. Chrysler would report directly to Durant, and would have full run of Buick without interference from anyone.

Not long after his three year contract was up, he resigned from his job as president of Buick in 1919. Durant paid Chrysler $10 million for his GM stock ($106 million in today's dollars). Chrysler had started at Buick in 1911 for $6,000 a year, and left one of the richest men in America.

Chrysler was then hired by John Willys to run his Willys Overland Motor Company in Toldeo, Ohio. However, Chrysler tried to oust John Willys with an attempted takeover bid that backfired when the shareholders resisted his move and Chrysler left the company in 1921 following which he acquired a controlling interest in the ailing Maxwell Motor Company. Chrysler phased out Maxwell and absorbed it into his new firm, the Chrysler Corporation, in 1925.

In addition to his namesake car company, Plymouth and DeSoto marques were created, and in 1928 Chrysler purchased Dodge. He financed the construction and built the Chrysler Building in New York City. In 1928, Chrysler was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year.

The Chrysler Corporation went through numerous changes over the years, with the Jeep and Eagle brands coming from the acquisition of American Motors. Despite the retirement of the Maxwell, DeSoto, AMC, Eagle, and Plymouth brands, Chrysler continued to be a part of Detroit's Big Three until 1998, when the German company, Daimler-Benz,  the makers of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, decided to merge with the company to form a new car company, Daimler Chrysler.

In mid-2007, Daimler sold off the Chrysler business to a USA consortium, although retaining a small shareholding.

 

The Walter P Chrysler Heritage Museum, Michigan, USA.

Rising three stories on DaimlerChrysler's Auburn Hills, MI campus, the 55,000 square foot Walter P. Chrysler Museum houses production and concept vehicles showcasing the corporation's American heritage. Cars are interspersed with interactive displays and exhibits illustrating the automaker's impact on American culture and the industry.

When visiting nearby Detroit and Chicago, plan a visit to the Museum where automotive history is learned and explored. Take an hour, or spend the day to experience the history of Chrysler vehicles, learn from interactive kiosk stations, or enjoy educational films in the movie theater.

Visit website www.chryslerheritage.com