Wilson Body Company
The C R Wilson Body Company with its plant located at Milwaukee Junction, Detroit, Michigan was incorporated in 1897. Early customers included Cadillac, Ford, Oldsmobile, and many other now forgotten brands.
Foundation
[edit | edit source]It grew from Wilson brothers' blacksmith and wagon repair shop which soon began to manufacture wagons then carriages. The brothers split the business by products and Charles R Wilson formed the C R Wilson Carriage Company followed by a new incorporation, C R Wilson Body Company.[1]
Cadillac
[edit | edit source]Wilson built Cadillac's first closed production body.
Ford
[edit | edit source]Wilson provided the first bodies for Ford's Model T.[1]
Alumni
[edit | edit source]Former employees included the Fisher brothers who founded Fisher Body Company. Henry Ford appears in a photograph of Wilson staff dated around 1900.[1]
Murray Body Corporation
[edit | edit source]On the sudden death of Charles R Wilson in 1924 a merger was negotiated with the owners of J W Murray Manufacturing Company, Towson Body Company and J C Widman Body Company under the name Murray Body Corporation.[1]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d Mark Theobald - Coachbuilt.com accessed June 10, 2017
