Frederick Morrell Zeder | |
|---|---|
 Zeder in 1922 | |
| Born | March 19, 1886
Bay City, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 1951 (aged 64)
Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Sepulchre Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse |
Lucille Monroe (
m. 1919) |
| Children | 4 |
Frederick Morrell Zeder (March 19, 1886 – February 24, 1951) was an American scientist and engineer who was one of the Studebaker engineers known as The Three Musketeers. [1]
Early life
Frederick Morrell Zeder was born on March 19, 1886, in Bay City, Michigan, to Rudolph John Zeder. [2][ citation needed] At the age of eleven, Zeder worked at a box factory. He then worked as a railroad call boy, car checker and machinist apprentice. He attended Bay City High School. [2] He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1909 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. [2] [3]
Career
After graduating, Zeder worked as an apprentice at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee. In 1910, he became an erecting engineer at the firm. [2] Later in 1910, Zeder joined E-M-F Company and became a leader in the company's engineering laboratories. [2]
In 1913, Zeder joined Studebaker as a consulting engineer and later became chief engineer. He left Studebaker in 1920. [2] [4] In 1921, he joined Skelton and Breer in forming the Zeder-Skelton-Breer Engineering Company, a partnership that would later be known as The Three Musketeers. [2] [1] They were involved in the founding of the Chrysler Corporation, and were hand-picked by Walter Chrysler, then with Maxwell Motor Corporation, to come with him when he started the new company in 1923. [2][ citation needed] He helped design the original Chrysler car in 1924. [5] Zeder served as vice chairman of Chrysler's board of directors and vice president of engineering until his death. [5]
Zeder served as special consultant to the Chief of Army Ordnance in World War II. [2] In 1941, Zeder became president of the Detroit Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. He served as director of the Grand Opera Society, director of the United Foundation and as a member of the state advisory board of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. [2] He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Engineering Society of Detroit, the Franklin Institute and the American Society for Testing Materials. [4]
Personal life
Zeder married Lucille Monroe in 1919. They had one son and three daughters, Fred M. Jr., Dorothy June, Priscilla Ann and Margaret Lucille. [2] [4] He lived at 17500 E. Jefferson in Grosse Pointe. [2]
Zeder died while on vacation on February 24, 1951, at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach. [5] [2] He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. [6]
Awards
Zeder received a honorary master's degree in engineering from the University of Michigan in 1933. [2] He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1998. [7]
References
- ^ a b "Looking Back At The Chrysler Airflow". HotCars. March 15, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
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"Fred M. Zeder, 64, Dies in Miami Beach".
Detroit Free Press. February 25, 1951. p. 12. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fred M. Zeder | DPL DAMS". digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
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"F. M. Zeder, Car Designer, Dies At Beach".
Miami Herald. February 25, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via
Newspapers.com.
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"F. M. Zeder Dies in Miami Beach".
Detroit Free Press. February 25, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved June 30, 2023 – via
Newspapers.com.
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"Final Rites Held for Fred Zeder".
Detroit Free Press. March 1, 1951. p. 23. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ "» Fred M. Zeder | Automotive Hall of Fame". www.automotivehalloffame.org. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
