Mr. Kaufman T. Keller

Mr. Kaufman T. Keller was born in Pennsylvania in 1885, attended high school and business school there, and began his career in 1904 as secretary to an author travelling in Europe.

In 1906, he began his technical career with the Westinghouse Company, and by 1909, had entered the automotive field. He was associated with General Motors in 1911 and by 1921 had risen to the vice presidency of the Chevrolet Motor Company. In 1926, he was made Vice President of the Chrysler Corporation and President of the Dodge Motor Company.

From 1935 until 1950, Mr. Keller was President of the Chrysler Corporation, and in his capacity, began his signal service to Ordnance and to the American Government in World War II.

He proposed creation of the Detroit Tank Arsenal, and some 25,000 tanks of various types were produced there by Chrysler between 1941 and 1945. Chrysler also produced trucks, B-29 bomber engines and fuselage parts, 60,000 anti-craft cannon, gyrocompasses and radar mounts, atom bomb apparatus, and 125 miles of submarine nets, all under the tough, blunt, direction of Mr. Keller.

He became Chairman of the Board of Chrysler in 1950 and again helped make his company part of the backbone of this country's materiel production during the Korean Conflict.

At the request of President Truman, he assumed the Directorship of the U.S. Guided Missile Program, where he remained until the end of the Korean Conflict.

He retired from Chrysler in 1956 and died in 1966. One of America's greatest production experts, his achievements are legendary.