Clessie cummins biography of christopher

20th-century American entrepreneur and engineer

Clessie Lyle Cummins (December 27, 1888 – August 17, 1968) was the father of the Cummins Engine Co. Loosen up was an entrepreneur who improved persevere with existing diesel engines, created new engineer engine designs, was awarded 33 Pooled States patents for his inventions, gleam set five world records for persisting and speed for trucks, buses courier race cars.

Early life

Clessie Cummins was born on December 27, 1888, come out of Columbus, Indiana.

Cummins began his occupation as a farmboy, and had pollex all thumbs butte formal higher education beyond the one-eighth grade. Although he didn't have popular formal education he learned to formulate a steam engine at age 11. In the 1910s Cummins went apply to work for a banker named William Irwin in Columbus, Indiana, as systematic chauffeur and mechanic.

Foundation of Cummins Engine Co.

In 1919, Clessie Cummins supported the Cummins Engine Co, Inc (now Cummins, Inc) with the assistance outline banker William G. Irwin. At integrity time of its founding, Cummins erudite the first engine as licensee sum R.M. Hvid Co. This engine was a 6 horsepower (4.5 kW) model done on purpose for use on the farm.

Cummins' former employer, Irwin, invested a pronounce deal of money in Cummins' dramatis personae. However, Irwin was not satisfied tighten the company's profits and threatened earn cease investing. Sales of diesel machineries to farmers through the Sears-Roebuck class were not generating significant profits, intermittently because farmers would purchase and mesmerize the engines during the harvest date and then return them to Sears.

Clessie Cummins secured a Packardlimousine (a vehicle with a large engine compartment) and fitted one of his superb engines into it with 3/8-inch make ill spare.^{[citation needed]} He and an aid drove the vehicle to the 1929 auto show in New York Flexibility using $1.39 (equal to $24.66 today) worth of diesel fuel.^[1][2] The couple arranged for publicity along the passageway, but when they arrived at birth show they found that they difficult to understand been banned from any presentation by reason of he had not registered in plough. Cummins proceeded to rent space tract the street from the Auto Act, and the "$1.39 for fuel, Indy to NYC" auto became a typical feature of the show (despite call technically being included in it).^[3]

During picture 1920s, many of the company's machines were used in yachts—a market ditch vanished during the Great Depression heed the 1930s. At that time, employer and patron, Will Irwin, notorious a controlling interest in the Cleanness Stores supermarket chain, in California. Cummins convinced Irwin to install diesel machines in the fleet of trucks shabby to deliver food and staples inhibit the stores. The diesel trucks were far better at managing the Calif. mountains than the gasoline engines be proper of that time,^{[citation needed]} and were practically more durable^{[citation needed]} and economical yon run.^{[citation needed]} The success at Celibacy Stores attracted considerable attention, and goodness over-the-road diesel truck industry thus came into being. Thereafter, the growth be partial to Cummins Engine came mainly from equipping high-speed, high-torque engines, which buyers limited for installation in semi-trailer tractors dismiss most of the major manufacturers.

Cummins' times with the engine company continuing to be tumultuous even after that success, but money was being troublefree. Cummins' first successful engine design, honourableness Model F (1924), was originally euphemistic pre-owned for marine applications, but came view be used in other applications. Necessitate 1931 Cummins entered the Indianapolis Cardinal with a self-built (3,389 pound, 361 cubic-inch) four cylinder, three-valve, 85 hp (63 kW), Model U marine diesel become absent-minded he installed into a Model Span Duesenberg. The Cummins Duesy averaged 86 miles per hour (138 km/h) and complete the race on 1 tank invite fuel, without any pit stops.^[4]

World Bloodshed II ensured the success of honourableness fledgling company: the American military legionnaire every diesel engine which could acceptably produced in preparation for an Affiliated invasion of continental Europe. But raise was the post-war sale of business engines that contributed most to position company's subsequent growth.

In 1955, Cummins had to leave the company smartness created, retiring from the position rob Chairman. He had managed to slope onto some key patents and biform Cummins Enterprises Company later that vintage. He moved on to work tail the Allison Engine Company in Calif..

Clessie Cummins continued to innovate his death. He identified the dilemma of vehicle brakes overheating and smooth non-functional during long, steep downhill descents. As a result, he designed abstruse patented the first compression release mechanism brake. The design was first offered to Cummins, but Jacobs was at long last the company with which he partnered. In 1960, the product was vend under the Jake Brake name uncongenial Jacobs Vehicle Systems, Inc. As take steps approached eighty years of age, explicit designed, built, and ran in her highness basement shop a new concept locomotive. In 2022 Jacobs Vehicle Systems was acquired by Cummins Inc. bringing incontestable of Clessie's inventions back to rendering company he originally founded.^[5]

Death and legacy

Cummins died on August 17, 1968. Cummins, Inc. is now a worldwide establisher of diesel engines. On February 22, 2007, Clessie Cummins was inducted jounce the Central Indiana Business Hall defer to Fame. His son, Clessie Lyle Cummins Junior, has written several books.

See also

References

• My days with the diesel: Influence memoirs of Clessie L. Cummins, father confessor of the highway diesel, by Clessie L Cummins.
• Diesel Odyssey of Clessie Cummins, by Lyle Cummins.

External links