William S. Knudsen

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William Signius "Big Bill" Knudsen (March 25, 1879 - April 27, 1948), was a leading automobile industry executive and a General in the U.S. Army.

Knudsen was born in Denmark. His name was originally Signius Wilhelm Poul Knudsen. He came to the United States in 1900. He was working for the John R. Keim Company of Buffalo, New York when the Ford Motor Company bought it in 1911 for its steel-stamping experience and tooling.[1] Knudsen worked for Ford from 1911[2] to 1921,[3] a decade that saw the formative development of the modern assembly line and true mass production.[4] Working first for the Ford Motor Company and later for General Motors, Knudsen became an expert on mass production and a skilled manager. Knudsen was president of the Chevrolet Division of General Motors from 1924[5] to 1937, and was president of General Motors from 1937[6] to 1940.

In 1940, President Roosevelt asked Knudsen to come to Washington to help with war production. In 1942, Knudsen was commissioned a Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army. He worked as a consultant and troubleshooter for the War Department. He served in the Army until June 1, 1945.

Knudsen was the father of Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen who became a prominent automobile industry executive.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hounshell 1984, pp. 224-225.
  2. ^ Hounshell 1984, p. 225.
  3. ^ Hounshell 1984, p. 264.
  4. ^ Hounshell 1984, pp. 217-261.
  5. ^ Hounshell 1984, p. 265.
  6. ^ Hounshell 1984, p. 265.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Beasley, Norman. Knudsen: a Biography. New York: Whittlesey House, 1947.
  • * Hounshell, David A. (1984), From the American system to mass production, 1800-1932: The development of manufacturing technology in the United States, Baltimore, Maryland, USA: Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 978-0-8018-2975-8, LCCN 83-016269 .
  • "Knudsen, William S." Current Biography, 1940:464-466.
  • "Knudsen, William Signius." American National Biographny, 12:843-844.
  • "William Signius Knudsen." Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography: The Automobile Industry, 1920-1980. Pages 265-283.
Preceded by
Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.		 President General Motors
1937-1940		 Succeeded by
Charles E. Wilson


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