How Did Cadillac Get Its Name?
The Cadillac automobile was named after Le Sieur Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a Frenchman who founded Detroit in 1701. The Cadillac name was given by Henry Martyn Leland, the founder of the automobile company. The Cadillac Automobile Company originated from a precision machine company created by Leland and his partner Robert Faulconer.
The Cadillac Name
Much of America's frontier territory at the turn of the eighteenth century included Michigan. Exploring what later became the Detroit River, Cadillac and his crew canoed along the shore before stopping at a spot at what is now Shelby Avenue and Jefferson Street. He established Fort Ponchartrain and named the location Detroit, the French word ("détroit") for "strait of a river." The French Crown recognized Detroit in 1706.
Leland
Leland was the son of a farmer and learned at an early age perform chores with precision and patience. His father also taught him to work with efficiency. As a boy, he also was an entrepreneur, and earned money repairing shoes. He later joined the gun manufacturer Colt where he apprenticed as a mechanic. He learned precision manufacturing from Colt.
Pioneer
Leland was an early pioneer in precision manufacturing. Industrial equipment in the nineteenth century was custom-made with little consideration to conformity or interchangeability of parts for equipment performing the same function. Leland worked to improve the methods he learned at Colt and other machinery companies. One of his early designs was interchangeable bicycle gears that were accurate to within a half-thousandth of an inch.
Cadillac Inspiration
After founding the machine shop with Faulconer and developing the bicycle gears, the next move in the 1890s was to developing an internal combustion engine for an automobile. Leland recognized the significant advances he was making in precision machine technology. He sought to apply those advanced methods to the automobile. Leland wanted to name his company to fit the adventurous spirit of his project.
Cadillac Standards
The Frenchman Cadillac presented himself as a nobleman in North America after he left France under difficult financial circumstances. It was not uncommon for newly arrived immigrants to assume new identities. Since Cadillac was a newly minted nobleman and somewhat of a dandy, his name fit perfectly for Leland's intended high-quality luxury car.
First Cadillac
The first Cadillac debuted in October 1902 as a one-cylinder runabout with patent leather fenders. The engine was the best powerplant in the country. By 1903, the chassis was equipped with an angled steel frame, a pair of half-elliptic springs and a right-side steering wheel instead of a tiller. By 1907, more than 20,000 Cadillacs were produced.
Legacy
Cadillac has emerged as North America's premier luxury car, maintaining high precision-built standards since the vehicle's inception. Leland recognized the value of the Cadillac name and sold his company to General Motors in 1909 for $4.5 million.
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