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Ohio inventions and firsts · Company innovation · 1909

Dayton Engineering Laboratories (Delco) founded

Kettering and Edward Deeds founded Dayton Engineering Laboratories in 1909; it developed the electric starter and was sold to General Motors in 1918.

At a glance

Year
1909
By
Charles F. Kettering, Edward A. Deeds
Company
Delco
Place
Dayton, Montgomery County ZIP 45402 · Dayton · Montgomery County

The story

Charles Kettering and Edward Deeds both worked at the National Cash Register Company in Dayton, and both were interested in automobiles. In 1909 they co-founded the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company, called Delco, to work on automobile electrical systems.

Deeds was born March 12, 1874, and lived until July 1, 1960. Besides Delco, he served as president of NCR, partnered with Orville Wright to set up the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company during World War I, and helped rebuild Dayton after the 1913 flood and form the Miami Conservancy District. His family is honored by the Deeds Carillon at Carillon Historical Park.

Delco developed the electric self-starter in 1911, which went into the 1912 Cadillac. Delco was eventually sold to the United Motors Company, which General Motors later acquired; other histories give 1918 for the GM deal.

ACDelco and Delco Electronics became well-known GM brands.

Timeline

  • 1909: Kettering and Deeds co-found the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company. (Dayton, OH) source
  • 1911: Delco has a practical electric starter by February. (Dayton, OH) source
  • 1912: The starter appears in 1912 Cadillac models. (Detroit, MI) source
  • 1913: The Great Dayton Flood; Deeds helps lead the rebuilding and the Miami Conservancy District. (Dayton, OH) source
  • 1918: Delco, sold to United Motors, ends up part of General Motors (other histories give 1918). (Detroit, MI) source

What it changed

  • The company that built the first widely used electric self-starter.
  • Became part of General Motors, with the ACDelco brand.

Why it matters

Base for Kettering's automotive inventions.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.