Charles Duryea - wikipedia Charles Duryea Charles Edgar Duryea Charles Duryea ( left ) with J. Frank Duryea ( 1861 - 12 - 15 ) December 15, 1861 Canton, Illinois September 28, 1938 ( 1938 - 09 - 28 ) ( aged 76 ) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Occupation Engineer Charles Edgar Duryea ( December 15, 1861 -- September 28, 1938 ) was the engineer of the first - ever working American gasoline - powered car and co-founder of Duryea Motor Wagon Company. He was born near Canton, Illinois, the son of George Washington Duryea and Louisa Melvina Turner and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but spent most of his life working in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was in Springfield that Charles and his brother, Frank, produced and road - tested America 's first gasoline - powered car. 1894 Duryea Automobile at the Tallahassee Antique Car Museum Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Tests of the first, gasoline - powered automobile 1.2 The Duryea Motor Wagon Company 2 Legacy 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links Biography He was born on December 15, 1861 near Canton, Illinois to George Washington Duryea and Louisa Melvina Turner. Charles Duryea and his brother Frank ( 1869 -- 1967 ) were initially bicycle makers in Washington, D.C., but later became world - renowned as the first American gasoline - powered car manufacturers, headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. Generally speaking, Charles engineered the automobiles, while Frank built, tested and raced them. Tests of the first, gasoline - powered automobile On September 20, 1893, the Duryea Brothers road - tested the first - ever, working American gasoline - powered automobile in a portion of Springfield, Massachusetts that is now Chicopee, Massachusetts. The Duryea 's `` motor wagon '' was a used horse drawn buggy that the brothers had purchased for $70 and into which they had installed a 4 HP, single cylinder gasoline engine. The car ( buggy ) had a friction transmission, spray carburetor and low tension ignition. Frank Duryea test drove it again on November 10 -- this time in a prominent location : past their garage at 47 Taylor Street in Springfield. The next day it was reported by The Republican newspaper with great fanfare. This particular car was put into storage in 1894 and stayed there until 1920, when it was rescued by a former Duryea engineer Inglis M. Uppercu and presented to the United States National Museum. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1973. The Duryea Motor Wagon Company On November 28, 1895 in Chicago, their vehicle, driven by brother Frank, had won America 's first car race. It ran to Evanston, Illinois and back. The only other finisher was one of three Benz cars mostly made in Germany. After Frank won, demand grew for the Duryea Motor Wagon. In 1896, the Duryea Brothers produced 13 cars by hand -- in their garage at 47 Taylor Street -- and thus Duryea became the first - ever commercially produced vehicle, and also the largest automobile factory in the United States. For the history of the company and its cars, see Duryea Motor Wagon Company. Charles Duryea sought out investors and buyers while his brother, Frank Duryea, primarily handled the mechanical side of the business. A Duryea car was involved in the world 's first known auto accident. New York City motorist Henry Wells hit a bicyclist with his new Duryea. The rider suffered a broken leg, Wells spent a night in jail and the nation 's first traffic accident was recorded. Due to low production and extraordinarily pricey cars, e.g. in 1913, George Vanderbilt purchased and drove a Stevens - Duryea, but was one of few people in the United States who could afford one. His 1913 Duryea is Vanderbilt 's only original car kept at his Biltmore Estate. Duryea ceased manufacturing in 1917. Charles Duryea died of a heart attack in Philadelphia on September 28, 1938 and was buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery, West Oak Lane. Legacy This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2017 ) The annual Duryea Hillclimb is named in his honor. See also Biography portal Elwood Haynes, also credited with first gasoline automobile References ^ Jump up to : `` Charles E. Duryea, Auto Pioneer, Dies. Credited With Building First ' Gasoline Buggy '. Tested in 1892 in Springfield. Car Now In Smithsonian. Won First Race for Horseless Carriages. Inventor of Many Improvements. Tablet Honors Achievement. Won First Automobile Race. Invented Bicycle Improvements ''. New York Times. September 29, 1938. Retrieved 2012 - 09 - 11. Charles E. Duryea, sometimes called the `` father of the automobile, '' died in his home here at 9 A.M. today after an illness of about a year and a half. He was in his seventy - fifth ( sic ) year. Jump up ^ May, George W. ( January 1, 1996 ) ( 1973 ). Charles E. Duryea, Automaker. Zero - g Press. ISBN 978 - 1889849027. ^ Jump up to : Ehtesham ( 2009 - 03 - 06 ). `` Cars : Duryea 's First Car 1893 CE ''. Bestsellingcars.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Aeromarine ''. Retrieved 12 January 2012. Jump up ^ `` Duryea Brothers ''. theinventors.org. Retrieved March 8, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Charles E. Duryea ''. Hall of Fame Inductees. Automotive Hall of Fame. 1973. Retrieved March 6, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Frank Duryea wins first U.S. horseless - carriage race -- History.com This Day in History -- 11 / 28 / 1895 ''. History.com. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 09. ^ Jump up to : Berkbile, Don. The 1893 Duryea Automobile, ( 1964 ). Jump up ^ `` Duryeas First but It Did n't Last '', Automotive News. News Pg. 3 February 26, 1996 ^ Jump up to : `` The Duryea Brothers -- Automobile History ''. Inventors.about.com. 2010 - 09 - 16. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Our Story -- Preservation -- Vintage Car ''. Biltmore.com. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Charles Duryea, auto 's inventor, taken by death ''. Ellensburg Daily Record. September 28, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Auto Inventor Dies. Charles Duryea Credited With First Gasoline Buggy ''. Associated Press. September 29, 1938. Retrieved 2012 - 09 - 11. Further reading Duryea, Charles ; Homans, James E. ( 1916 ) The Automoble Book Sturgis & Walton, New York ; at Open Library. The first chapter briefly surveys the early evolution of automobiles, with mention of his own involvement from 1891 and the famous victory of the Duryea Motor Wagon in the first London - to Brighton race ( 1996 ). External links Charles Duryea at Find a Grave VIAF : 59889100 LCCN : n85062659 ISNI : 0000 0000 2942 4860 BNF : cb13510370n ( data ) IATH : w6qk06cm Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Duryea&oldid=807127894 '' Categories : 1861 births 1938 deaths American founders of automobile manufacturers Automotive pioneers Duryea People from Canton, Illinois Businesspeople from Springfield, Massachusetts Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2012 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016 Articles needing additional references from January 2017 All articles needing additional references Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Português Edit links This page was last edited on 26 October 2017, at 02 : 22. 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Question: when was the first gasoline-powered american automobile made
Answer: September 20, 1893