The New York herald., 1920-01-15
Mr.. John Francis Dodge, Automobile
Builder, of Detroit, Dies in Hotel Here

Mr.. John +. Dodge, president of Dodge
Detroit, Mich, died at the Ritz-Carlton
Hotel last night after an illness of one
week. Mr.. Dodge and his brother. Horace
E. Dodge, contracted pneumonia two days
after their arrival in New York on Janu-
airy 5 to attend the automobile show. Hor-
ace e. Dodge is recovering.
When Mr.. Dodge died his wife, Mrs.
Matilda Dodge, and daughters, Mrs. Wini-
fred Gray and Miss Isabel Dodge, were
at the bedside. At the Ritz-Carlton
apartment were gathered also Oscar b
Marx, formerly Mayor of Detroit, a per-
sonal friend; Mrs. Horace e. Dodge. Rob-
ert Tenehill, of the dry goods firm of j.
l.. Hudson & Co, of Detroit: Thomas
Cashin. assistant postmaster of Detroit,
and Howard Bloomer, attorney for the
Dodge family.
Besides the two daughters. Mr.. Dodge
leaves John Il. Dodge, Jr., Daniel Dodge,
Frances Dodge and an infant seven
months old, as yet unnamed DR.. Ira L.
HILL of No. 615 Madison avenue. attended
Mr.. Dodge and his brother.
Mr.. Dodge was born fifty-four years ago
in Niles. Mich, where his father was for
many years machinist and ironworker.
and 1t was in the fathers shop that John
and his brother, Horace, learned their
trade as machinsts after they had at
tended the Niles school.
From their apprenticeship in their
fathers shop until the day when, by a
coincidence. they both fell i'll of pneu-
monia in New York the two brothers were
inseparable in work and play, so II is inn
possible to relate the history of one with
out mention of the other.
1t was in their early days that the
brothers demonstrated their enterprise by
building the first bicycle ever seen in
Niles. Graduating from the paternal
shop. they began the life of journeymen
machinists and worked in several Michi-
gan cities. In Detroit, in 1901. they laid
the foundation for their great success
when they established a machine shop on
Monroe avenue. They started business
with machinery they had taken in pay
ment of a debt and employed eleven men.
AS the business grew the brothers
divided the work. John Dodge became
the business executive OF the firm, while
Horace developed as a gas engine expert.
The Dodge brothers were among the
leading machinists of Detroit when Henry
Ford completed his experiments in auto
mobile building and was trying to organize
a company TO begin manufacture. In 1902
the Henry Ford Automobile Company was
organized and struck bargain with John
+. lodge and his brother by which they
were each to take n 5000 interest in the
business. the stock to be paid for out
of their profits in the manufacture OF
$50 chassis. That was the beginning OF
the Dodge Brothers connection with
Henry Ford.
But while the Dodges were prosperinr
as independent machinists they also were
prosperjne as sha holders\ I'm the Ford
plant Their original investment Of 500
each, paid out OF profits on work done In
the shop. had grown to s12,5oo.ooo each
when the F'ords finally bought out the
minority stockholders last July.
The settlement with the Ford interests
came after the famous suit in which the
Dodges attacked the management OF the
Ford factory aud the Ford project to build
an immense plant on the River Rouge In
Detroit and won their case In the Supreme
Court.
At the time OF his death Mr.. Dodge was
engaged in building at Crosse Pointc
magnificent home.