David Dunbar Buick

Talented inventor and engineer David Dunbar Buick was born in Scotland in 1854. When he was two, his family emigrated to Detroit, USA. As an adult, he became a plumber during a boom in the plumbing industry. In 1884, he opened his own firm. Yet plumbing fittings were not his dream: he wanted to build his own car. At forty-five, he began designing internal combustion engines for marine and agricultural use.

Buick Motor Co. was founded in 1902. A year later, David and his son built their first car. But he was more inventor than businessman, and debts accumulated. Some shares were sold to James Whiting, then owner of Flint Cars. Buick Motor Co. moved from Detroit to Flint, Michigan.

In 1904, Whiting and Durant, founder of General Motors, agreed to merge the two firms, with Durant acquiring control of Buick Motor Car Co. Buick became a division that David continued to manage for a time. By 1908, Buick production reached 8,000 cars, but David was no longer involved. He had left General Motors to establish another car company. That venture also failed, yet his name lived on as a world-famous automotive marque.