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According to Harley-Davidson lore, William Harley and Arthur Davidson met in the late 1890s. They became fast friends because of their shared interest in mechanics and design. By the turn of the century, one was working as a draftsman, the other a pattern-maker.
- James R. Coffey
- Synopsis
- Early Years
- Harley-Davidson Motor Company
- Personal Life & Death
Born in 1880, William S. Harley took an interest in the early development of the bicycle, which fueled his fascination with mechanics and engineering. With his friend Arthur Davidson, he began outfitting bicycles with a motorized engine. In 1903 Harley, Davidson, and Davidson's two brothers formed the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, soon the world's...
One of the original founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, William Sylvester Harley, was born December 29, 1880, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ambitious, with a good eye for business, Harley started his career at the age of 15 when he took a job at a bicycle factory. Working with him was a childhood friend of his, Arthur Davidson, who, like Harl...
In 1903 the four men formed the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, which they operated out of a small shed in the Davidson family's backyard. Harley's name was given top billing because he was credited with coming up with the original idea for a motorcycle. That first year, the company produced three bikes, which included a bike crank and pedals as wel...
Harley married Anna Jachthuber in 1910. They had three children: Ann Mary, William J. and John. Harley died of heart failure on September 18, 1943 at the age of 62. He is buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum in Milwaukee. In 1998, he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio.
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He co-founded Harley-Davidson with Arthur Davidson in 1903 and served as chief engineer and treasurer until his death in 1943. While in college he worked at a Madison architect's office and as a waiter for the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. The first Harley-Davidson factory opened in Milwaukee in 1906, and the company began producing motorcycles ...
Arthur Davidson Sr. (February 11, 1881 – December 30, 1950) was an American businessman. He was one of the four founders of Harley-Davidson.
Arthur Davidson, born in Milwaukee, Wis. on February 11, 1881, was only twenty years old when he and his childhood friend William S. Harley teamed up to work on their idea for a...
Feb 17, 2015 · William Harley and Arthur Davidson were only one year apart in age and growing up just a handful of houses away from each other made for the beginnings of a life long friendship.
One of the original founders of Harley-Davidson, William S. Harley was working as a draftsman at the time he and Arthur Davidson built their first motorcycle. Harley served as Harley-Davidson's chief engineer and treasurer until his death from heart failure on September 18, 1943.
