John and Horace Dodge

Automotive Pioneers

Here's a biographical profile of John and Horace Dodge, the fabulously wealthy Detroit automobile pioneers who reveled in yachts, estates and producing great cars. Unfortunately, John and Horace's lifestyles were unacceptable to the social elite in Detroit; they regarded the brothers as uncultured, crude and boorish. And they probably were, but it bothered the brothers not at all. When the Grosse Pointe Country Club refused admission to Horace, he bought the adjacent land and vowed to build a home that would make the country club "look like a shanty." And he did; the mansion was known as Rose Terrace.

Above all, John and Horace were consummate engineers, mechanics and businessmen who learned their craft well under masters such as Olds and Ford, but who subsequently made their fortune with their own vision and work ethic.

©2008 Daniel Alef (P)2008 Daniel Alef