Roy D. Chapin

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Roy Chapin
6th United States Secretary of Commerce
In office
December 14, 1932 – March 3, 1933
PresidentHerbert Hoover
Preceded byRobert P. Lamont
Succeeded byDaniel C. Roper
Acting
August 8, 1932 – December 14, 1932
Personal details
Born
Robert Dikeman Chapin

(1880-02-23)February 23, 1880
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 16, 1936(1936-02-16) (aged 55)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Resting placeWoodlawn Cemetery, Detroit
Political partyRepublican
SpouseInez Tiedeman (1914–1936)
Children6, including Roy D. Chapin Jr.
Parents
  • Edward Cornelius Chapin
  • Ella Rose King
EducationUniversity of Michigan
AwardsAutomotive Hall of Fame[1]

Roy Dikeman Chapin Sr. (February 23, 1880 – February 16, 1936) was an American industrialist and a co-founder of

United States secretary of commerce from August 8, 1932, to March 3, 1933, during the final months of the administration of President Herbert Hoover
.

Early life

Chapin was born on February 23, 1880, in

Olds Motor Works in Detroit
.

In 1914, Chapin married the former Inez Tiedeman, the daughter of

Hudson Motor Company and eventually leading American Motors Corporation
(AMC).

Commercial interests

Secretary of Commerce Roy D. Chapin applauds President Herbert Hoover
at the Nine-Point Prosperity Conference (August 26, 1932)

Chapin was general sales manager of Olds Motor Works from 1904 to 1906. He then started E. R. Thomas-Detroit Company with Edward R. Thomas, and was its treasurer and general manager from 1906 to 1908.

Chapin headed the consortium of businessmen and engineers that founded the

Joseph L. Hudson
, who provided the majority of capital for the operation's start-up.

Chapin was also behind the 1918 formation of the Essex Motors Company, a subsidiary of Hudson. Essex is notable for developing the first affordable mass-produced enclosed automobile in 1922.[2] Because of the success of the inexpensive enclosed Essex Coach line, the American automobile industry shifted away from open touring cars in order to meet consumer demand for all-weather passenger vehicles. By 1929 Hudson-Essex reached 3rd in industry sales behind Chevrolet and Ford.

In 1927 he replaced Clifton as the head of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce.[3]

In addition to his corporate interests, Chapin spearheaded the drive to build the

Henry B. Joy of Packard
Motors. While Chapin viewed a system of professionally designed and built roadways as the greatest way to grow the automobile industry, he also saw the modern roadways movement as a way to secure long-range strength for the United States as a nation.

Political activities

Chapin at his desk as secretary of commerce, 1932

After building Hudson into one of the most profitable independent American automobile manufacturers, Chapin left Hudson for the Hoover administration upon his appointment in 1932.

During his tenure as secretary of commerce, Chapin was unsuccessful in persuading

Emergency Banking Act
of 1933.

Death

Chapin returned to Hudson in March 1933. His final three years were spent trying to save the company from the effects of the

A.E. Barit.[5] He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery
.

Legacy

Chapin House in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
Embassy of Nicaragua

In 1927, Chapin commissioned noted architect John Russell Pope to design a residence for his family at 447 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Pope later designed the Jefferson Memorial, National Archives Building and National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Bryant Fleming landscaped the grounds which included 600-year-old yews imported from England. Mrs. Chapin occupied the residence until her death in 1956 when Henry Ford II and wife Anne purchased the property. Ford owned the estate until 1983 when he demolished the house and divided the land to construct condominiums.[6]

In 1954,

Nash Kelvinator acquired Hudson in a friendly merger. The resulting company, American Motors Corporation (AMC), continued operation until Chrysler acquired it in 1987. Chapin's son, Roy D. Chapin Jr., served as chairman and chief executive officer of AMC and led the automaker to the acquisition of Kaiser Jeep Corporation in 1970. Chapin was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1972.[7][1] His grandson, William R. Chapin
, was named president of the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2010.

References

  1. ^ a b "Roy D. Chapin, Inducted 1972". Hall of Fame Inductees. Automotive Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "1922 Affordable Closed Cars". Popular Mechanics. 173 (5): 50. May 1996. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "Motor Men Elect Chapin. Hudson's Head Succeeds Clifton as President of Chamber". The New York Times. March 4, 1927. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  4. ^ "Roy D. Chapin Dead. In Hoover Cabinet. Former Secretary of Commerce Was President of Hudson Motor Car Company. Worked For Good Roads. Drove First Car From Detroit to New York. Spent Life in Automotive Field". The New York Times. February 17, 1936. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Barit Head Of Hudson. Succeeds the Late Roy D. Chapin. Factories Plan Production". The New York Times. February 23, 1936.
  6. ^ "Historical Architecture of Grosse Pointe – 447 Lake Shore". Higbie Maxon Agney. August 5, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  7. ^ "People". Highway Highlights. National Highway Users Conference: 167. 1974. Retrieved March 7, 2016.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roy D. Chapin.
Business positions
Preceded by
One of the founders of the company
 Chairman and CEO of Hudson Motor Car Company
1908–1932 and 1933–1936 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Served under: Herbert Hoover
August 8, 1932 – March 3, 1933 		Succeeded by
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