CHRYSLER, WALTER P(ERCY)

born April 2, 1875, Wamego, Kan., U.S. died Aug. 18, 1940, Great Neck, N.Y. founder of Chrysler Corporation. Starting as an apprentice in a railroad machine shop, Chrysler worked his way up to plant manager for American Locomotive Company but left to become a manager for the Buick Motor Company. By 1916 he was company president. He resigned in 1919 after making Buick the strongest unit of General Motors. Six months after his resignation he assumed direction of Willys-Overland Company and of Maxwell Motor Company, Inc., which became the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. The new company produced a car that Chrysler designed. The car, which featured a high-compression engine, was highly successful, and the Maxwell car disappeared. In 1928 Chrysler purchased Dodge Brothers, Inc., and later that year introduced the Plymouth to compete with Ford and Chevrolet. The corporation became a major company in the American automotive industry.