 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (November 2019) |
Charles T. Fisher | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1880 |
| Died | August 8, 1963 (aged 83) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman: Automotive pioneer Racehorse owner/breeder |
Charles Thomas Fisher (February 16, 1880 – August 8, 1963) was an American businessman and an automotive pioneer.
Born in Norwalk, Ohio, Charles was the second son of Lawrence and Margaret Fisher. The family would grow to include seven boys and four girls. At the turn of the 20th century, eldest son Fred was the first to move to Detroit where an uncle, Albert Fisher, had established Standard Wagon Works during the latter part of the 1880s. A year later Charles Fisher joined his brother as an employee at the C. R. Wilson Company, a manufacturer of horse-drawn carriage bodies who were just beginning to construct bodies for the automobile makers.
With the fledgling automobile business about to emerge as a major industry, on July 23, 1908 Charles and Fred Fisher founded the Fisher Body Company together with their Uncle Albert. Soon, they brought their five younger brothers into the business. Highly successful, the Fishers expanded their operation into Canada, setting up a plant in Walkerville, Ontario and by 1914 their company had grown to become the world's largest manufacturer of auto bodies.
In 1919, the Fisher brothers sold sixty percent of their company to General Motors Corporation (GM). In 1926, Fisher Body Company became a subsidiary division of General Motors when the brothers sold their remaining forty percent and Charles Fisher was appointed a GM Vice-President.