On This Day

Thursday 23rd December 1915

104 years ago

The White Motor Company was incorporated in Ohio, US. The automobile and truck manufacturer, in existence to 1981, also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, Steam cars, tractors and sewing machines. A 1907 White steamer was one of the early vehicles in the White House when Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, allowed the Secret Service to use the car behind his horse-drawn carriage. In 1909, president William Howard Taft converted the White House stables into a garage and purchased four automobiles: two Pierce-Arrows, a Baker Electric, and a 1911 White. This $4,000 car was one of the last steam cars produced and proved a favourite of the President who used bursts of steam against "pesky" press photographers. White Motor Company ended car production after World War I and began producing trucks. The company soon sold 10 percent of all trucks made in the US. They built the Freightliner until the mid-70's, Western Star semis up to about 1980, Autocar until 1980 (many garbage trucks and other extremely heavy ones), and the Road Commander heavy duty cab-overs among others.