| George Mallory Hendee | |
|---|---|
George Hendee in 1904 |
|
| Born | 2 October 1866 Watertown, Massachusetts |
| Died | 1943 Suffield, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Motorcycle manufacturer |
| Spouse | Edith M. Cordwell (1888–1895) Edith Leona Hale (1915 – until his death) |
| Parents | William Goodell Hendee Emma Dwight Upton |
George M Hendee (October 2, 1866–1943) was a co-founder of the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company.
Contents |
George M Hendee took up bicycle racing at age 16. He won the United States National Amateur High Wheel Championship in 1886, setting a new world record over a dirt half-mile track of 2 minutes 27.4 seconds, and held it until 1892.[1] He was America's first national cycling champion, winning 302 of the 309 races he entered, and dedicating himself to racing and traveling to bicycling events.
In 1892 Hendee retired from bicycle racing and began making Silver King bicycles at 41-43 Taylor Street in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1895.[2] In 1896 the Hendee & Nelson Manufacturing Company at 478 Main Street in Springfield Massachusetts were building safety bicycles under the names of Silver King for men and Silver Queen for women.[3] The company went bankrupt and Hendee purchased the entire inventory at auction and set up shop on Worthington Street in 1898.[4] The Hendee Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1898 with a capital stock of $5,000. The company's new line of bicycles was called Indian.[5] Hendee sponsored a number of bicycle racers and events throughout New England. It was during an event in Madison Square Garden in January 1900 that Hendee became acquainted with Carl Oscar Hedström and witnessed first-hand the excellent performance of the motorized pacing bicycle built by Hedstrom.
Hendee and Hedstrom signed a partnership agreement in January 1901 and Hedstrom became the chief engineer and designer. The first Indian prototype was built by Hedstrom at the Worcester Bicycle Manufacturing Company in Middletown, CT and the first public demonstration was held on Cross St. in Springfield on May 10, 1901. Hedstrom traveled to Aurora, IL to refine his engine design and Hendee Mfg. Co. contracted and licensed the Aurora Automatic Machine Company to build the engine (the contract was terminated on March 5, 1907). Hedstrom supervised all aspects of manufacturing, including the designing of production molds and machines and expansion of both factories (the main factory on State Street and the forging factory "Hendeeville" in East Springfield) while Hendee, as president and general manager, traveled extensively to set up dealerships and arrange financing. By 1912, Hendee Manufacturing, was the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer. In 1913, the company's production peaked at 32,000 units.[6] The company's name was changed to Indian Motocycle in November 1923.
In 1915, Hendee resigned as general manager but remained as president. In 1916, at the age of 49, Hendee retired from Hendee Manufacturing after a disagreement with the board of directors over the direction of the organization. In his retirement, he bred Guernsey cattle and White leghorn chickens on his 500-acre (2.0 km2) Hilltop Farm in Suffield, Connecticut. He sold his estate in 1940 and moved to a smaller home in Suffield where he died in 1943 at the age of 76.