Buick, David Dunbar (1854-1929), was a pioneering automobile manufacturer. He organized the Buick Motor Company in 1903, and the company’s first automobiles were built and tested that year.
Buick’s automobiles were among the first to have valve-in-head engines. In valve-in-head engines, the valves are located above the pistons, making possible a more complete intake of gasoline and better combustion. Eugene C. Richard, a Buick company engineer, designed the engine, while Buick designed the framework for the first Buick automobile. Financial problems caused Buick to leave the company in 1908. He later worked for oil and gold-mining companies.
Buick was born on Sept. 17, 1854 in Arbroath, Scotland. He moved to Detroit with his parents when he was 2 years old. Before making automobiles, Buick made plumbing supplies. He patented a process for bonding porcelain to iron and used the process to make porcelain bathtubs and other plumbing fixtures that soon became common household items. Buick then briefly operated a company that produced gasoline engines for farm and stationary equipment. He died on March 6, 1929, in Detroit.
