This new hardcover book (320 pages, over 250 illustrations) is the first comprehensive biography of Byron J. Carter, a prominent, successful Michigan automobile pioneer, inventor, and entrepreneur, who established the Jackson Automobile Company in 1902 and the Motorcar (later "Cartercar") Company in 1904. Carter's printing and bicycle businesses, steam-powered yacht projects, extensive gasoline and steam horseless carriage experiments in the late 1890s and early 20th century, and his efforts to perfect the friction-drive automobile transmission are covered in detail. The accuracy of the folklore surrounding Carter's death at the age of 44 is also investigated (i.e., the tale that Carter's jaw was fractured while starting an automobile when the engine backfired causing the crank to strike him in the face, which in turn led to fatal pneumonia, and that upon hearing of Byron J. Carter's death, Cadillac Motor Car Company founder and Carter's friend, Henry M. Leland, pushed to develop the automobile electric self-starter to eliminate the hand-cranking danger). The text is thoroughly researched and relies on historical accounts, many photographs, and other information generously provided by Byron J. Carter's descendants; numerous prints from a collection of glass-plate negatives photographed by a Carter employee are also featured. Many of the book's illustrations have never been published before. Additionally, the book references national automotive journals of the day and contemporary newspaper accounts, public documents, and city directories, primarily from Jackson and Detroit, Michigan, that provide greater detail about and pinpoint the specific timing of events in Byron J. Carter's life and productive career.

Byron J. Carter: The Ingenious Inventor Who Founded the Jackson Automobile and Cartercar Companies

Dean M. Nelson

Cyclorium Press

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Books by Cyclorium Press

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Cyclorium Press publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Byron J. Carter: The Ingenious Inventor Who Founded the Jackson Automobile and Cartercar Companies