Walter Chrysler | Mechanical Engineer | Bio | Chrysler Corporation

Walter Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American automotive engineer known for founding the Chrysler Corporation. He was also a veteran of the American Civil War before working in the automotive industry.

Throughout his illustrious career, Chrysler was honored with multiple awards for his contributions to the automotive industry. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1967, twenty-seven years post his death.

Walter Chrysler’s early life

Walter Chrysler was the third of four children of Henry and Anna Marie Chrysler. He was born in Wamego, Kansas, in 1875. His family relocated to Ellis when he was three years old. His father worked as a railroad engineer for the Kansas Pacific Railroad.

Walter Chrysler developed a liking for machinery in his early teens and joined a railroad machine shop when he was 17. Dreaming of following in his father’s footsteps, he spent the next twenty years learning and working on railroad engineering. 

Career in railroad engineering

Chrysler gained a reputation as a roundhouse mechanic who was specifically good at valve-setting jobs. He worked for multiple railroads during this period. 

Chrysler started from the bottom as a foreman and worked his way up the ladder, becoming a superintendent, division master mechanic, and general master mechanic. The pinnacle of his railroad career came at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he achieved a managerial position at the American Locomotive Company (Alco).

Walter Chrysler’s automotive career

Walter Chrysler kickstarted his automotive career in 1911 when he met James J. Storrow, a director at Alco. Storrow queried if he had given any thought to automotive engineering as a career. Chrysler, a keen automobile enthusiast, was interested in the opportunity. He joined the Buick Motor Company as a works manager at Buick in Flint, Michigan, after talking to Charles W. Nash, the then-president of the Buick Motor Company.

During his formative years at Buick, Chrysler found multiple ways to reduce production costs, proving his mettle as a superstar hire for the company. In 1916, he became the president of Buick after William “Billy” Durant, the founder of General Motors, returned to run the company. 

In 1919, Chrysler resigned from his position as president, citing differences with Durant regarding the vision for General Motors. He earned $10 million for his GM stock, making him one of the richest men in the United States, having started with a $6,000 yearly salary. 

From Maxwell Motors to Chrysler Corporation

After resigning from Buick, Walter Chrysler assumed the direction of Willys-Overland Company and Maxwell Motor Company. Maxwell was drowning in debt at that time, and Chrysler worked on reviving it by introducing the Chrysler Six in January 1924 at the New York Automobile Show. 

This new Chrysler car set the stage for an upward trajectory for Maxwell Motors. The Chrysler brand achieved such success that Maxwell Motor Corporation was reorganized into the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. 

Chrysler was at the pinnacle of his career when he was named 1928 Man of the Year by Time magazine. Along with Chrysler Corporation, General Motors, and the Ford Motor Company, also entered the top tier of the American automobile industry in the same year. 

Chrysler retired in 1935 as the president of the Chrysler Corporation, but stayed as a chairman on the board until his death.

Not content with his work in the automobile industry, Walter Chrysler also worked on erecting the iconic Chrysler Building between 1928 and 1930. Until the Empire State Building was completed in 1931, the Chrysler Building was the tallest in the world. 

Walter Chrysler’s personal life and death

In 1901, Walter Chrysler married his childhood sweetheart, Della Forker, and they settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, while he worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. The couple had four children.

In 1938, Della Forker died of a cerebral haemorrhage, and Chrysler also suffered a stroke in the same year. He finally breathed his last at the age of 65 in 1940 and was buried at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarrytown, New York.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. What is Walter Chrysler best known for?
He is best known for founding the Chrysler Corporation and transforming it into one of the “Big Three” American automakers alongside Ford and General Motors.

2. How did Walter Chrysler start his career?
Chrysler began as a railroad mechanic and spent over two decades in railroad engineering before transitioning into the automotive industry in 1911.

3. What was the Chrysler Six, and why was it important?
The Chrysler Six was a breakthrough car introduced in 1924 that helped revive the Maxwell Motor Company and laid the foundation for the formation of the Chrysler Corporation.

4. Did Walter Chrysler have a role in building the Chrysler Building?
Yes, he personally funded and commissioned the iconic Chrysler Building in New York City, which briefly held the title of the world’s tallest building before the Empire State Building.