
by Ramona K. Cecil
If you are over the age of
fifty or are a vintage automobile enthusiast, you may recognize the name
Studebaker. According to my husband, who fits both those descriptions, a
vintage car show would not be complete without several models from the Studebaker
line. But did you know that the Studebaker Company was famous for
transportation long before the automobile?
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Five Studebaker brothers. Left to right standing: Peter and Jacob Seated: Clem, Henry, and John M. |
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Henry Studebaker |
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Studebaker Blacksmith Shop, South Bend, Indiana |
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John M. Studebaker |
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Studebaker wagon exhibited in the El Dorado County Museum,
Placerville, California.
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They sky seems the limit for the young wagon manufacturing company when disaster strikes. Over the next four years, two massive fires destroy the
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Studebaker factory South Bend, Indiana |
Studebaker expands its market to
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President Benjamin Harrison's Studebaker Coach |
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President Lincoln's Studebaker carriage |
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President Grant's Studebaker Carriage |
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President McKinley in Studebaker carriage |
By the end of the 19th Century, the company begins to experiment with powered vehicles. In 1902 they introduce an electric car and two years later they join with the Garford Company of
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Thomas Edison in 1903 Studebaker electric car |
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1908 electric Studebaker police patrol vehicle |
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Supply wagons, WWI |
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1904 Studebaker-Garford Model C gasoline-powered car |

The iconic Budweiser Beer wagon pulled by a majestic team of Clydesdale horses is a 1903 Studebaker wagon.
In 1915, Studebaker is the first automotive company to offer wholesale and retail financing.
The company moves automotive production from
The next three decades
comprise Studebaker’s automotive “hey-day,” during which, the company introduces
the four-wheel hydraulic brake system, acquires the luxury car manufacturer
Pierce Arrow, introduces a car model named for legendary Notre Dame football
coach, Knute Rockne, and even expands to the West Coast by opening their
Studebaker Pacific Corporation in Los Angels in 1935.
When war breaks out again inEurope in 1939, Studebaker begins supplying
the Allies with trucks, airplane engines, and the Weasel personnel carrier. By
1942 and America ’s
entrance into WWII, the company suspends all manufacture of civilian
vehicles and devotes their entire capacity to the war effort.
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Studebaker 1930 |
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Studebaker Pierce Arrow 1933 |
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1932 Studebaker Rockne |
When war breaks out again in

At war’s end, Studebaker is the first company to produce a postwar automobile and is the subject of a Life Magazine ten-page article. One of the most iconic of the Studebaker models was the bullet-nose Champion of the 1950s. I remember a co-worker of mine in the mid 1980s who still drove her Champion to work every day and claimed it was the best car she ever drove. My husband’s favorite was the last of the Studebaker models, the 1962 sporty Avanti, which he still aspires to one day own. Despite the Avanti, Studebaker is faltering by the mid 1960s. The
Over the next couple decades, through a series of mergers and sell-offs, the Studebaker Automotive Company ceases to exist. By the late 1980s, all that’s left of Studebaker is Avanti Motors, which finally shuts down production in 1991. Several attempts to resurrect Avanti in the
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1962 Studebaker Avanti |
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2007 Studebaker Avanti |
Though Studebaker automobiles are no longer rolling off assembly lines, Studebaker enthusiasts can take heart and head to the two
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Studebaker Museum Chapin Street, South Bend, Indiana |
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Old Studebaker National Museum, Main Street, South Bend, IN |
Do you have a Studebaker in your past? I’d love to hear your story.
Check out her
website at www.ramonakcecil.com
That is a long history for this car company. Very interesting, from wagons to wars to presidents. Sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteHi, Sharon! Yes, it is. Sad that they were unable to make it in the modern market, but 150 years is not a bad run.
DeleteSecond try at making a comment! Grrrr!
ReplyDeleteOkay, so what I said before is that my father loved Studebaker cars and bought them for our family for many years. He was so disappointed when they stopped making them.
Hi, Louise! What a ringing endorsement from your dad! I've heard much the same from other drivers among the "Greatest Generation." It makes me wonder why Studebaker wasn't able to compete in later years.
DeleteI enjoyed hearing the about the rest of the Studebaker story, Ramona. What the brothers accomplished is amazing. From their humble beginning they went on to become an international success. I especially like the part John M's days in my hometown of Placerville, California played. If it hadn't been for the fortune he amassed making wheelbarrows for miners, the Studebaker story could have turned out much differently.
ReplyDeleteI remember my mom driving a Studebaker when I was a young girl. Now I enjoy seeing them at the car shows my husband and I attend. I wish Indiana weren't so far away. I know we'd both enjoy touring those museums.
Hi, Keli! I loved your history of John M.'s California years. You are sooo right! If John hadn't made and saved that $8,000 making wheel barrows in Placerville, California, and then was willing to invest his hard-earned money into his brothers' business, there wouldn't have been a Studebaker story. I'd LOVE to tour the Studebaker museum with you. What fun that would be. My hubby as already put it on our summer travel schedule. LOL
Deletewhat a great article!
ReplyDeletemy dad restores old buggies and one of the a couple years ago was a Studebaker. Fun to see all the different models.
Thanks, Carla! How interesting that your dad restores old buggies! From what I learned, Studebaker wagons and buggies were made to last. They remind me of the Oliver Wendell Holmes poem, The Deacon's Masterpiece. I actually memorized that thing and gave it as a recitation to my eighth grade literature class years ago. LOL
DeleteMy grandfather always had a Studebaker car. He thought they were the best! I can remember one he had in the 1960s when I was a kid, and it looked like the photo of the 1950 Commander that you have here.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your article, I wonder if the Studebaker boys had any sons who worked in the company. Was it a generational company, or did someone else buy it out?
Hi, Donna! I love the look of the Commander. That visor above the windshield is sooo cool! Sons of the original five Studebaker brothers did inherit the business. As years went on, they brought people into management who didn't always make the best business decisions, causing a loss of business. Later, the business went through mergers and sell-offs until it no longer existed as a business.
DeleteThanks for the info, Ramona. The Studebaker company lasted over a hundred years, so I'd say that was good. A lot of companies don't make it that far.
DeleteGreat post with lots of car pics, Ramona! Although we never owned a Studebaker, I've been familiar with the name for decades. The farm wagon looks so familiar too and I wonder if it had a patent, or if everyone copied it as a generic design.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you teamed up with Keli for this 2 part post to show the beginnings of this company. You can see where the genius and tenacity came from when you look at John M Studebaker and his wheelbarrow start. You can find it a http://www.hhhistory.com/2015/03/john-m-studebaker-his-california-years.html
Thanks, Anita! I was blown away about how John M. was able to amass that kind of money in the 1850s making wheelbarrows and then have enough faith in his brothers to sink every penny of his hard earned money into their business! That the company weathered three devastating factory fires also speaks to the Studebaker brothers' determination. A great lesson! In the words of Winston Churchill, "Never, never, never give up!"
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the rest of the Studebaker story, Ramona. Such fascinating history!
ReplyDeletetexaggs2000 at gmail dot com
Thanks, Britney! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :-)
ReplyDelete