Auto industry / Business & brands / Military
William S. Knudsen
1879–1948 · president of General Motors, wartime production chief
Danish immigrant who ran production at Ford's Highland Park, turned Chevrolet into GM's powerhouse and organized America's World War II arms output.
- Born
Copenhagen, Denmark- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 69- Birth name
- Signius Wilhelm Poul Knudsen
- Also known as
- Big Bill Knudsen
- Detroit years
- 1911–1948
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Knudsen came to Detroit in 1911 when Ford bought the Buffalo parts maker he worked for. At Ford he became production manager at the Highland Park Plant during the formative years of the moving assembly line and helped set up Ford's branch assembly plants. He left Ford in 1921, joined General Motors, and as head of Chevrolet from 1924 made it the best-selling car brand, overtaking the Model T. He was president of GM from 1937 to 1940. In 1940 President Roosevelt called him to Washington to lead defense production for $1 a year, and in 1942 he was commissioned directly as a lieutenant general, the only civilian ever given that starting rank, to coordinate Detroit's conversion into the 'Arsenal of Democracy'. A devoted member of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Detroit, he died in the city in 1948 and is buried at Acacia Park Cemetery.
Highlights
- Production manager at Ford's Highland Park Plant in the 1910s
- Head of Chevrolet, 1924–1937; Chevrolet passed Ford in sales
- President of General Motors, 1937–1940
- Commissioned lieutenant general in 1942 to direct war production
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 3
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1911–1921
Highland Park Ford Plant
Closed · 1910–1974
He served as production manager here during the rise of mass production.
Worked here · 1924–1940
Cadillac Place (former General Motors Building)
GM's headquarters while he led Chevrolet and then the whole company.
Buried here · 1948
Acacia Park Cemetery
The Oakland County cemetery where he is buried.