Auto industry / Science & invention
Earle S. MacPherson
1891–1960 · automotive engineer, inventor of the MacPherson strut
GM and Ford engineer whose MacPherson strut suspension, developed in Detroit in the 1940s, is now used on most of the world's cars.
- Born
Highland Park, Illinois- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 68- Birth name
- Earle Steele MacPherson
- Detroit years
- 1930s–1960
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
MacPherson, an Illinois-born University of Illinois graduate, worked as an engineer in Detroit's auto industry and became chief engineer of Chevrolet's Cadet project, a compact car meant to sell for under $1,000 after World War II. For the Cadet he developed a compact strut-type front suspension. GM canceled the car in 1947, and MacPherson moved to Ford later that year. There he adapted his design for production; Ford's French Vedette and British Consul and Zephyr of the early 1950s were among the first cars to use it. He served as Ford's chief engineer from 1952 until he retired in 1958. The MacPherson strut, which combines the shock absorber and spring in one unit, became the standard front suspension for small and mid-size cars worldwide. He died of a heart attack at Old Grace Hospital in Detroit in 1960.
Highlights
- Chief engineer of the Chevrolet Cadet project in the 1940s
- Invented the MacPherson strut suspension
- Chief engineer of Ford Motor Company, 1952–1958
- First production use on Ford's European cars around 1950