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Notable people · Engineer · Automotive · Inventor

Owen Skelton

Born in Edgerton, Skelton became a leading auto engineer. With Fred Zeder and Carl Breer, 'the Three Musketeers,' he helped develop Chrysler's rubber 'floating power' engine mounts, four-wheel hydraulic brakes and the Airflow car.

Owen Skelton
United States Government, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Born
1886-02-09
Died
1969-07-20
Education
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, to about 1905, mechanical engineering
Known as
Engineer, Automotive, Inventor
Organizations
Chrysler Corporation, Studebaker, ZSB Engineering

Life story

Owen Ray Skelton was born February 9, 1886, in Edgerton, Ohio. He earned a mechanical engineering degree at Ohio State at 19.

He worked at the Pope-Toledo factory in Toledo from 1905 to 1907, did design work at Packard, and partnered on the Benham car in 1914 to 1916. At Studebaker he teamed with Fred Zeder and Carl Breer, who became known as the Three Musketeers. In 1921 they set up ZSB Engineering, and in 1923 they joined Maxwell-Chalmers, which became Chrysler in 1925.

At Chrysler he led work on floating power, a rubber engine-mount system that smoothed vibration, helped bring in four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and was a key engineer on the Airflow.

He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002. He died in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 20, 1969.

Timeline

  • 1886-02-09: Born (Edgerton, OH) source
  • 1905: Starts at the Pope-Toledo factory (Toledo, OH) source
  • 1914: Benham automobile design partnership (to 1916) source
  • 1921: Co-founds ZSB Engineering source
  • 1923: Joins Maxwell-Chalmers, which became Chrysler in 1925 (Detroit, MI) source
  • 2002: Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame (posthumous) source
  • 1969-07-20: Dies (Palm Beach, FL) source

What Owen is known for

  • Led development of 'floating power' rubber engine mounts
  • Helped pioneer four-wheel hydraulic brakes at Chrysler
  • Key engineer on the Chrysler Airflow
  • Floating power engine mounts
  • Four-wheel hydraulic brakes at Chrysler
  • Chrysler Airflow

Honors and things named for them

  • Automotive Hall of Fame (2002)

Family

  • wife: Edith

Ohio places

Where Owen Skelton was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.

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