Duryea family
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J. Frank Duryea
19/20th-century American engineer
James Frank Duryea | |
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J. Frank Duryea (right) with Charles Duryea | |
| Born | October 8, 1869 Washburn, Illinois, US |
| Died | February 15, 1967 (1967-02-16) (aged 97) Saybrook, Connecticut, US |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Significant advance | automobile |
James Frank Duryea (October 8, 1869 – February 15, 1967) was an American engineer and inventor who, with his brother Charles (1861–1938), invented the first American gasoline-powered automobile.[1]
Biography
The brothers were born in Illinois, Charles in Canton, Illinois, in 1861 and Frank in Washburn, Illinois, in 1869. Both graduated from high school. Charles moved to Washington, D.C., to work in the bicycle business. Frank followed closely on his heels in 1888. Two more moves in as many years brought the Duryea brothers to Springfield, Massachusetts. Charles had already earned a reputation for unusual design elements in his "sylph" bicycle, with a smaller wheel in front and a steering lever on the sides of th
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15/12/1862 - 28/12/1938
Record updated
Early motoring pioneer jointly credited with invented the car with his brother, Frank. They founded the first company to manufacture and sell gasoline-powered vehicles.
After working on his parent's farm, he went to an engineering school and in 1882 become a mechanic. He went to work for the Rouse Cycle Company in Washington D.C.. The bicycle industry was in a period of huge growth and he was joined by his brother, Frank, in 1888.
They became bicycle manufacturers when they bought into the Rouse Cycle Company which then became the Rouse-Duryea Cycle Company.
They developed an interest in gasoline engines and automobiles. On September 20 1893, their first automobile was constructed and successfully tested on the public streets of Springfield, Massachusetts.
America's First Automobile Race was held on November 28, 1895 at 8:55 am. Six motorcars left Chicago's Jackson Park for a 54-mile race to Evanston, Illinois and back through the snow. Number 5, driven by Frank, won the race in just over 10 hours at an avera
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Charles Duryea
American automobile manufacturer
Charles Duryea | |
|---|---|
Charles Duryea (left) with J. Frank Duryea | |
| Born | (1861-12-15)December 15, 1861 Canton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 28, 1938(1938-09-28) (aged 76) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Ivy Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Engineer |
Charles Edgar Duryea (December 15, 1861 – September 28, 1938) was an American engineer. He was the engineer of the first working American gasoline-powered car and co-founder of Duryea Motor Wagon Company.[1] He was born near Canton, Illinois, a son of George Washington Duryea and Louisa Melvina Turner, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but spent most of his life working in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was in Springfield that Charles and his brother, Frank, produced and road-tested America’s first gasoline-powered car.[2][page needed]
Biography
Charles Duryea was born on December 15, 1861, near Canton, Illinois, to George Washington Duryea and Louisa Mel
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