Charles Franklin Kettering

Ashland County · City Park, Loudonville, OH, 44842 -- SE corner of intersection of OH 39 and OH 3

Side A: A pioneer in automotive innovation, Charles Franklin Kettering (1876-1958) was born three miles north of Loudonville. He attended local schools and graduated from Ohio State University in 1904. He organized the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco) in 1909, which later became a part of General Motors (GM). “Boss Ket” served as vice-president of research for GM until 1920 and held over 140 patents (including four-wheel brakes, safety glass, and “ethyl” gasoline), achieving his greatest fame for an all-electric starting, lighting, and ignition system. The electric starter debuted on the 1912 Cadillac and was soon available on all cars, helping to popularize them with women. In 1945 he helped establish the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Institute in New York. Side B: Same

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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Marker data: Ohio Historical Markers program, Ohio History Connection (Remarkable Ohio)

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