139 Years Ago

William Crapo Durant is born on Dec. 8, 1861, in Boston, MA, to Rebecca Crapo (daughter of Flint, MI, businessman and former Michigan senator and governor, Henry H. Crapo) and her husband, William C. Durant, a bank clerk, stock speculator - and, reportedly, a drunk. Within two years Mr. Durant, his sister and mother were living in Flint where he quit school at age 17 to work in a variety of jobs. At 25 he acquired the rights to manufacture a premium "road cart" and in 1908 at age 47 founded General Motors Co. of New Jersey. After losing control of GM in 1910, he later founded the Chevrolet Motor Co. which he used to regain GM, only to be forced out a second time in 1920.