Notable people · Inventor · Business
Alexander Winton
Scottish-born Cleveland automaker who, on March 24, 1898, sold an automobile to Robert Allison of Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, regarded as the first sale of an American-made standard-model gasoline car. A dissatisfied customer, James Ward Packard, started his own car company in 1899.
At a glance
- Born
- 1860-06-20
- Died
- 1932-06-21
- Known as
- Inventor, Business
- Organizations
- Winton Motor Carriage Company
Life story
Alexander Winton was born in Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1860, the son of a marine engineer. He came to the United States in 1879 and worked in an iron works and as a ship engineer.
He started a bicycle company in 1891, then the Winton Motor Carriage Company in Cleveland in 1897. That year he drove one of his cars from Cleveland to New York. In 1898 he made one of the first commercial sales of a gasoline car and also built what is called the first semi-truck.
He raced to advertise his cars. His Bullet cars won at Daytona Beach, though he lost a 1901 race to Henry Ford. He held more than 100 patents.
He closed the car company in 1924, started a diesel engine firm in 1912 that he sold to General Motors in 1930, and died in Cleveland in 1932. He is in the Automotive Hall of Fame (2005) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2006).
Timeline
- 1860-06-20: Born in Grangemouth, Scotland (Grangemouth, Scotland) source
- 1879: Emigrates to the United States (New York, NY) source
- 1891: Founds Winton Bicycle Co. (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1897: Founds Winton Motor Carriage Company; drives Cleveland to New York (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1898: Sells car commercially; builds early semi-truck (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1924: Liquidates car company (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1930: Sells engine business to General Motors (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1932-06-21: Dies in Cleveland (Cleveland, OH) source
What Alexander is known for
- Sold the first American-made gasoline car to a customer, 1898-03-24
- Winton Motor Carriage Company, Cleveland
- Winton Motor Carriage Company, 1897
- Winton Gas Engine & Mfg. Co., 1912
- Over 100 patents (per Wikipedia)
Honors and things named for them
- Automotive Hall of Fame, 2005
- National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2006
Family
- first wife: Jeanie Muir McGlashan
- customer-turned-rival: James Ward Packard
Places in Ohio to see
- Lake View Cemetery (grave)
12316 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44106 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
Ohio places
Where Alexander Winton was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44114 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
- Buried: Cleveland (Lake View Cemetery), Cuyahoga County (12316 Euclid Ave) ZIP 44106 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
Myths and corrections
- 'First car sale' is contested; Wikipedia says 'one of the first'.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.
- Alexander Winton (Wikipedia, pointer) dates, Grangemouth birth, 1898 sale, Packard story, Lake View burial
- Alexander Winton (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History) dates, 24 Mar 1898 sale, Lake View burial