William S Knudsen
From Motley Bytes Wiki
William Signius Knudsen. (1879 - 1948). Danish-American automotive industry executive and an American general during World War II.
Noteworthy
- Franklin Roosevelt commissioned him directly as a lieutenant general in the United States Army to help lead the United States' war materiel production efforts for World War II.
- Knudsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His name was originally Signius Wilhelm Poul Knudsen.
- He immigrated to the United States and arrived in New York in February 1900.
- Worked for Ford from 1911 to 1921, a decade that saw the formative development of the modern assembly line and true mass production.
- Working first for the Ford Motor Company and later for General Motors from 1921, Knudsen became an expert on mass production and a skilled manager.
- Knudsen was president of the Chevrolet Division of General Motors from 1924 to 1937 and was president of General Motors from 1937 to 1940.
