William s harley biography
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William S. Harley
American businessman and co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company
This article is about the founder of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. For the children's entertainer, see Bill Harley.
William S. Harley | |
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William S. Harley | |
| Born | William Sylvester Harley (1880-12-29)December 29, 1880 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | September 18, 1943(1943-09-18) (aged 62) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Mechanical engineer, businessman |
| Years active | 1901–1943 |
| Known for | Co-founder of Harley-Davidson Motor Company |
| Spouse | Anna Jachthuber |
William Sylvester Harley (December 29, 1880 – September 18, 1943) was an American mechanical engineer and businessman. He was one of the four co-founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
Early life
[edit]Harley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1880 to William Harley Sr., a railway engineer, and Mary Smith from Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England who emigrated
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William S. Harley
(1880-1943)
Synopsis
Born in 1880, William S. Harley took an interest in the early development of the bicycle, which fueled his fascination with mechanics and engineering. With his friend Arthur Davidson, he began outfitting bicycles with a motorized engine. In 1903 Harley, Davidson, and Davidson's two brothers formed the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, soon the world's preeminent motorcycle manufacturer.
Early Years
One of the original founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, William Sylvester Harley, was born December 29, 1880, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ambitious, with a good eye for business, Harley started his career at the age of 15 when he took a job at a bicycle factory.
Working with him was a childhood friend of his, Arthur Davidson, who, like Harley, had a mind for mechanics. The two also shared a deep interest in bicycles and were convinced they could create a new kind of mechanized bike that would be easier to ride. Soon, the two friends be
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According to Harley-Davidson lore, William Harley and Arthur Davidson met in the late 1890s. They became fast friends because of their shared interest in mechanics and design.
By the vända of the century, one was working as a draftsman, the other a pattern-maker. But they still hadn’t hit upon an idea to combine their interests and talents.
As fate would have it, while out on the town one night, the two men attended a performance of Anna Held. She was a Vaudevillian performer known for her risque stage shows.
Although there was much to gawk at on scen, Harley and Davidson were only interested in a prop Miss Held used to propel herself across the scen. It was a three-wheeler (trike, if you will) run bygd a single-cylinder engine.
Though nobody in the audience could have guessed, that short ride sparked the imagination of the two dock. It would effectively ignite a revolution in vehicle and manufacturing history.
In 1903, William Harley and Art