Arthur Davidson (motorcycling)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people named Arthur Davidson, see Arthur Davidson (disambiguation).
Arthur Davidson
Walter Davidson Sr.
(older brother)

Arthur Davidson Sr. (February 11, 1881 – December 30, 1950) was an American businessman. He was one of the four founders of Harley-Davidson.

Early life

Davidson was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to William C. Davidson (1846–1923), who was born and grew up in Angus, Scotland, and Margaret Adams McFarlane (1843–1933) of Scottish descent from the small Scottish settlement of Cambridge, Wisconsin; they raised five children together: Janet May, William A., Walter, Arthur and Elizabeth.[1] Arthur's grandfather Alexander "Sandy" Davidson (from Aberlemno, Scotland) and Margaret Scott[2]
immigrated from Scotland to the United States in 1858 with their six children, including Arthur's father William.

Career

Eventually they settled in Wisconsin, and it was there that, in 1903, Arthur, went into business with William S. Harley, making motorcycles in his family shed.[3] One of Davidson's favorite pastimes was fishing in the Wisconsin wilderness, which inspired him to create a motorcycle that would, "take the hard work out of pedaling a bicycle". He was a storyteller, salesman, and United States patriot. During World Wars I and II, Arthur and the company diverted motorcycle production to support US troops.[4]

The "Honey Uncle" story is one of the family stories told about Davidson and a pivotal moment for the fate of the Harley-Davidson company. One day shortly after Davidson's cleaning lady visited, he discovered the

Lakeshore Nature Preserve.[6]

Davidson was killed at the age of 69 in a two-car collision 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Davidson's home, a dairy farm, on Wisconsin Highway 59 near Waukesha, Wisconsin, on December 30, 1950. Also killed in the accident were Davidson's wife, Clara, as well as Dorothy and Donald Jeffery.

Labor Hall of Fame

Because Arthur Davidson,

Labor Hall of Fame.[7]

References

  1. ISBN 9781610604208. Retrieved Sep 26, 2019 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  2. ISBN 9780896585690
    . Retrieved Sep 26, 2019 – via Internet Archive. Arthur Davidson william parents scotland.
  3. ^ Cowing, Emma (13 May 2012). "Harley-Davidson devotees rescue crumbling Scots home of legendary motorbike maker". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  4. ^ "World War Two Harley Davidson WLA & WLC Motorcycles Available!". Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  5. ISBN 978-0-87020-351-0
    .
  6. ^ "Picnic Point". Lakeshore Nature Preserve. Retrieved Sep 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "Hall of Honor Inductee: Harley Davidson | U.S. Department of Labor". www.dol.gov. Retrieved Sep 26, 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arthur Davidson (motorcycling).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Davidson_(motorcycling)&oldid=1191343880"