Charles Jeffrey House

Charles Jeffrey House in the Third Avenue Historic District in Kenosha, WI (1904). A large addition was completed in 1925. Charles T. Jeffery was the son of Thomas B. Jeffery, the founder of the Thomas B. Jeffery Company. Charles assumed control of the company when his father died in 1910. The company's trucks were sought by the U.S. Army during World War I, especially the four-wheel drive Jeffery Quad. He was a passenger on the RMS Lusitania, and nearly lost his life when it sank. After the incident, he re-evaluated his life and sold the company to Charles Nash, a former General Motors executive who changed the company's name to Nash Motors. Nash also purchased Jeffery's House. Jeffery spent the rest of his life collecting rare books.

 

Charles W. Nash was born in Illinois and worked as a farmhand in Michgan after his parents separated. William C. Durant took notice of him in Flint, and hired him as a supervisor for his company. Nash co-founded the Buick Motor Company with Durant and David D. Buick in 1904. He became the president and general manager in 1908. General Motors hired him as general manager in 1910. Nash turned the company's fortunes around, increasing profits to $12 million by 1914. Because of his resistance to offer stockholders a dividend, he was voted out of his position in 1915. After purchasing the Jeffery Motor Company in 1916, he was able to sell over 30,000 trucks by 1919. Nash also bought the luxury LaFayette Motors. Nash retired in 1936. Nash later merged with the Hudson Motor Car Company to found the American Motors Corporation.

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