41°31′58″N81°38′06″W / 41.5328°N 81.6350°W /41.5328; -81.6350
 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Predecessor | White Sewing Machine Company |
| Founded | 1900; 126 years ago (1900) |
| Founder | Thomas H. White |
| Defunct | 1980 (company)2021 (brand) |
| Fate | Bankruptcy andliquidation, brand would continue until 2021 |
| Successor | Volvo,White Farm Equipment,Western Star Trucks |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Cars,Trucks,Buses, andTractors |
_and_his_successors.jpg)
White Motor Company (later renamedWhite Motor Corporation and commonly known asWhite) was an American car, truck, bus and agriculturaltractormanufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles,roller skates, automaticlathes, andsewing machines. BeforeWorld War II, the company was based inCleveland, Ohio.White Diesel Engine Division inSpringfield, Ohio, manufactureddiesel engine generators, which powered U.S. military equipment and infrastructure, namely ArmyNike and Air ForceBomarclaunch complexes, and otherguided missile installations and proving grounds, sections ofSAGE andDEW Line stations, radars,Combat Direction Centers and other ground facilities of the U.S. aerospace defense ring, such as theTexas Towers.[1]
During theVietnam Era, the company retained its position within theTop 100 Defense Contractors list (it ranked 87th in theFiscal Year 1965,[2] 77th in 1967,[3] 73rd in 1968,[4] 89th in 1969[5]). Its production facilities, such as the Lansing Truck Plant inLansing, Michigan, and the main plant in Cleveland were engaged in production, inspection, engineering services and maintenance of thousands of military/utility cargo trucksM39,[6]M44,[7] M600,[7] and M602 series trucks,[8] as well asspare parts, such ascylinder heads,diesel andgasoline engines withaccessories.[9]
Around 1898,Thomas H. White purchased aLocomobilesteam car and found its boiler unreliable. His son,Rollin, set out to improve its design. Rollin White developed a form of water tube steam generator which consisted of a series of stacked coils with two novel features: the first was the coils were all joined at the top of the unit, which allowed water to flow only when pumped, allowing control of the steam generation; the second was pulling steam from the lowest coil, closest to the fire, which allowed control of steam temperature. This second point was critical because the White steamer operated withsuperheated steam to take advantage of steam's properties at higher temperatures. Rollin Whitepatented his steam generator, US patent 659,837 of 1900.[10]
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Rollin H. White patented his new design and offered it to, among others, Locomobile. Finally, he persuaded his father, founder of theWhite Sewing Machine Company, to allow the use of a corner in one of his buildings to build an automobile.
White's brother, Windsor, who was a management talent[clarification needed], joined the business venture, followed by their brother, Walter, who became instrumental in the sales, promotion and distribution of the product. The first group of fifty cars were completed in October 1900, but none were offered to the public until April 1901 so the design could be thoroughly tested. Since the cars were being offered by the automobile department of the sewing machine company, White could not afford to diminish the reputation of the parent company by the introduction of an untested product.
In 1905, it became necessary to separate the automobile department from itsparent company to accommodate the growth of the business and to physically separate them, as a fire in one could ruin both operations. On 4 July 1905, a racing steam car named "Whistling Billy" and driven byWebb Jay set a record of 73.75 mph (118.69 km/h) on theMorris Park Racecourse.[13]
A 1907 White Steamer was one of the early vehicles in the White House whenTheodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, allowed theSecret Service to use the car behind his horse-drawn carriage.[14] In 1909, presidentWilliam Howard Taft converted the White Housestables into agarage and purchased four automobiles: twoPierce-Arrows, aBaker Electric, and a 1911 White.[14] This $4,000 car was one of the last steam cars produced and proved a favorite of the President who used bursts of steam against "pesky"press photographers.[14] The 40 hp (30 kW) White Model M 7-seattourer generated favorable press for the newly formed White Motor Company.[15][16] Taft's White Model M is currently housed in the collection at theHeritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts.[17]
The last steam car was built in January 1911 as the company made a transition to gasoline-powered vehicles.[13] The company continued to show them in their catalogues as late as 1912. 9122 White steam-powered cars[18] were built, more than the better knownStanley.
In 2019 Mitch Gross and Chris Rolph drove a 1910 model MM 40 hp White steam car from Beijing to Paris, likely the only time such a feat has been done by a steam car. The journey of over 8000 miles crossed 12 countries, 7 time zones and included the first crossing of a major desert (the Gobi) by a steam car.
The White steam car reentered popular culture in 2023 when comedian and classic car collectorJay Leno, while repairing his 1907 White steam car in his garage inBurbank, suffered third-degree burns on his face and hands when a fuel line sprayed him at the same time a spark ignited.
White companies' manufacturing facility expanded. The White steamer used unique technology, and it was vulnerable in a market that was accepting the internal combustion engine as the standard. White canvassed existing gas manufacturers and licensed the rights to theDelahaye design for the "gas car", showing a chassis at an English auto show in December 1908.
Rollin became more interested in agricultural tractors, and developed designs for tractors derived from standard White truck parts. When the White Company was not interested in producing tractors, Rollin set out to develop his own designs and, with brother Clarence, eventually foundedCleveland Motor Plow, which later becameCletrac tractor. Cletrac was later purchased byOliver Tractor Co, which in of itself was bought by White in 1960. the early 1920s, Rollin briefly produced theRollin car to diversify the tractor company, but found it could not compete in cost versus price against much larger manufacturers.
White was successful with their heavy machines, which saw service around the world duringWorld War I. White remained in the truck industry for decades.
In 1979 White was having financial struggles and had to sell its tractor division,White Farm Equipment to a Texas firm called TIC.
White Motor Company ended car production afterWorld War I to focus exclusively on trucks. The company soon sold 10 percent of all trucks made in the US. Although White produced all sizes of trucks from light delivery tosemi, the decision was made afterWWII to produce only large trucks. White acquired several truck manufacturing companies during this time:Sterling (in 1951),Autocar (in 1953),[19]REO (in 1957) andDiamond T (in 1958).[20][21] White also agreed to sellConsolidated Freightways,Freightliner Trucks through its own dealers.[22] White produced trucks under the Autocar nameplate following its acquisition. Diamond T andREO Motor Car Company became theDiamond REO division, which was discontinued in 1995.
A White Semi performed a role in the 1949James Cagney filmWhite Heat. This era was probably the peak of White Motor market penetration, with the substantial gasoline engined tractors moving a large part of the tractor trailer fleet.
White designed and (with other companies) produced theM3 Scout Car, the standardUnited States Army reconnaissance vehicle at the start of World War II. White also built the laterM2,M3,M13 andM16half-tracks.
In 1967, White started theWestern Star division to sell trucks on the west coast.
The WhiteModel 706 chassis emerged as the winner of a four-way competition withFord, REO andGMC, held by theNational Park Service in 1935 atYosemite National Park.[23] Starting in 1936, White produced 500 of the Model 706, specifically designed to carry passengers through seven of the majorNational Parks of the western US; bus tours were offered as most tourists arrived from trains before World War II. The distinctive vehicles, with roll-back canvas convertible tops, were the product of noted industrial designerAlexis de Sakhnoffsky and used bodies from the Bender Body Company of Cleveland.[24] They originally operated in seven National Parks:Glacier,Grand Canyon,Mount Rainier,Rocky Mountain,Yellowstone,Yosemite, andZion.[25] After being retired from service in the 1960s, many buses were sold to private collectors and tour operators. TheSkagway Street Car Company assembled a fleet of eight buses starting in 1987, naming each bus for the location from which they were acquired.[26]
Today,Glacier National Park operates 33 of its original 35 buses, where they are referred to as "Red Jammers", and eight (of an original 98)[27] have been restored for renewed service inYellowstone National Park.[26] Glacier's 33 buses were refurbished by Ford and TransGlobal in 2000–2002,[28][29] while Yellowstone's eight buses were refurbished by TransGlobal in 2007.[26] Glacier has kept one bus in original condition. Yellowstone has five White buses in original condition, two model 706s and three older units as well. In addition, a private operator uses two of the White 706 buses originally built for Yellowstone forGettysburg National Battlefield tours.[30] One ex-Mount Rainier White 706 is on display at theLongmire Historic District.[31]
The bus driven by Egg Shen in the filmBig Trouble in Little China intoChinatown, San Francisco is a White 706 which was later purchased by the Skagway Street Car Company.[26] It was one of the eight sold to Xanterra in 2001; they were subsequently restored by TransGlobal for tours in Yellowstone.[32] The character "Ol Jammer" from the Disney animated filmPlanes: Fire and Rescue is based on the White 706.[33][34]
In addition to the National Parks touring buses, White built similar buses with fixed roofs for intercity service.[35] White entered thetransit bus market in 1937 with the 700 series, available in 30-and-35-foot (9.1 and 10.7 m) lengths. The longer model was produced through 1953, with an update in 1948 as the 1100 series.[35]
During the time brothers Walter and Windsor White ran the company, it offered a library branch, a store which sold necessities at low cost, sports teams, and concerts by orchestras andjazz bands, as well as musical performances by the workers, many of whom were immigrants fromSlovenia andPoland. The company also hadpicnics atEuclid Beach Park.
After Walter White was fatally injured in a traffic accident, management changed and so did the firm's culture. Employees started one of the country's first automobileunions. TheGreat Depression caused a drop in sales, forcing White to merge withStudebaker. However, White soon became independent again.
In 1935, Robert Fager Black became president, but workers were still unhappy, and they went onstrike. Black negotiated with the workers who were striking, and he even gotbaseball equipment for them and let them play while on strike, so they would have something to do. Black learned people's names, visited the plant frequently, and asked customers if they were happy with what they purchased. Anyone could visit his office.
Black brought the company back to where it had once been byWorld War II, during which the company supplied the military with much of its equipment. White ranked 54th among US corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.[36] When husbands went to serve, wives took their jobs, and the work force totaled over 4000. Black provided the services the company had at one time, and helped employees get to work withcarpools.
Black retired in 1956, still beloved by employees.[22]
In 1953, White purchasedPittsburgh, Pennsylvania-basedAutocar Company. From 1951 until 1977, White also distributedFreightliner Trucks.[37] This took place under an agreement with Freightliner's parent,Consolidated Freightways. White manufactured trucks under its own brands—White, Autocar, and Western Star—as well, leading to the company becoming known as the "Big Four" through to the mid-1970s. TheSterling nameplate, unused by White as long as the company owned it, went to Freightliner after the companies' split. It was then used by Daimler Trucks, who manufactured the former Ford heavy truck line under the Sterling name, from 1997 to 2008.[38][39]
Sales dropped during the 1960s, and White tried merging withWhite Consolidated Industries, the original company that once made sewing machines, however the federal government blocked this deal. The company opened plants inVirginia andUtah, since they did not have unions, but this did not help.Semon Knudsen, former president ofFord, made the company successful for a time, but the decline continued. Later, the federal government approved a merger with White Consolidated, which feared being hurt by White's troubles. Mergers withDaimler andRenault were also considered.[22] Production was somewhat limited as White did not have a lighter range (13,330 units built in 1978), leading to several attempts at linking up with various European manufacturers.[40]
By 1980, White was insolvent, filingChapter 11 bankruptcy case 80-13361 in the Northern District of Ohio on September 4 of that year.Volvo acquired most of the assets of the company in 1981, while two energy-related companies based inCalgary, Alberta,Bow Valley Resource Services, andNovaCorp, an Alberta corporation, purchased the Canadian assets, including theKelowna, British Columbia plant, and the Western Star nameplate and product range.[41]
Volvo created the Volvo White Truck Corporation which continued making White trucks.
In 1988, Volvo created a new brand called WhiteGMC, which was the result of a merger withGeneral Motors. The WhiteGMC brand would last until 1996. Following the discontinuation of the brand, Volvo would continue making trucks under Volvo andAutocar nameplates.
In 1991AGCO boughtWhite Farm Equipment from TIC.
In 2001, White Farm Equipment would stop making tractors and only make planters.
In 2021, White Farm Equipment was discontinued by AGCO which would end the White brand entirely.
| Year | Production | |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 18 | Model A |
| 1901 | 193 | Model A |
| 1902 | 385 | Model B |
| 1903 | 502 | Model C |
| 1904 | 710 | Model D; Model E |
| 1905 | 1,015 | Model E |
| 1906 | 1,534 | Model F |
| 1907 | 1,130 | Model G; Model H |
| 1908 | 1,024 | Model K; Model L |
| 1909 | 1,377 | Model O; Model M |
| 1910 | 2,408 | Steam: Model OO; Model MM Gasoline: Model G-A;[50] Model G-B[51] |
| 1911 | 2,183 | The last steam car was built in January 1911 Gasoline: Model G-A; Model G-B |
| 1912 | 1,839 | Model Sixty |
| 1913 | 1,615 | Model Sixty |
| 1914 | 1,318 | Model Sixty |
| 1915 | 1,115 | Model 30;[52] Model 45; Model 60 |
| 1916 | 1,128 | Model 30; Model 45 |
| 1917 | 987 | Model 16 Valve "4" |
| 1918 | 653 | Model 16 Valve "4" |
| Sum | 21,134 |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Daimler Trucks North America's (DTNA) decision to discontinue the sale of Sterling branded Heavy, Medium, and Light duty Truck.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
