Henry Martyn Leland (February 16, 1843 – March 26, 1932) was an American machinist, inventor, engineer, and automotive entrepreneur. He founded the two premier American luxury automotive marques, Cadillac and Lincoln. [1]

Feb 22, 2009 · Henry Leland was one of the best and most respected engineers of the early auto industry, an expert in mass production and precision manufacturing. His life, however, is a tragic tale of broken promises and dashed hopes, the story of a great man brought down by the pettiness and venality of a new era that no longer had any place for great men.

Oct 16, 2019 · Henry Leland founded the two surviving American luxury car companies, Cadillac and Lincoln, both now more than a century old, yet outside of some automotive history buffs, he’s generally unknown—not even honored by the companies he started.

Nov 24, 2016 · Henry Leland spent the next nine years of his life in and out of court in an effort to compel Ford to keep his promises to Lincoln’s stockholders. Ford being Ford, he fought it to the Michigan Supreme Court, and won.

Vermonter Henry Martyn Leland created two of the world’s best-selling luxury car brands – the Cadillac and the Lincoln. While New England had other players in the early development of the automobile, Leland was the most successful and most underappreciated.

Mar 22, 2025 · Henry M. Leland, American engineer and manufacturer whose rigorous standards contributed to the development of the automobile. His automotive innovations included the V-8 engine and adoption of the electric starter. Learn more about Leland’s life and career.

Sep 23, 2018 · Henry Leland strove to build an even better automobile. Flush with severance cash and stocks, he immediately founded the Lincoln Motor Company (named for his hero, Abraham Lincoln, who he’d helped re-elect in 1864), at first to build Liberty aero engines under license for the aerial battle over Europe.

Henry Martyn Leland, founder of Cadillac and Lincoln car companies, brought precision engineering to the automobile business. Born in Barton, Vermont in 1843, he gained machine knowledge working with farm equipment and learned the …

Feb 16, 2022 · Henry Leland, founder of Cadillac and Lincoln, was born on this day in 1843. He began his professional engineering career in the firearms industry, including time spent at Colt. His exceptional eye for toolmaking, manufacturing and parts interchangeability resulted in him and partner Robert Faulconer founding Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Co ...

A brilliant manufacturing mind, Henry Leland was one of the most respected men of the automobile industry, earning him the nickname “Grand Old Man of Detroit.”