Arthur Chevrolet, (April 25, 1884 – April 16, 1946) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

racecar driver and automobile manufacturer.

Biography

Born in

Bonfol Bonfol is a municipality in the district of Porrentruy in the canton of Jura in Switzerland. It was also home to one of the most hazardous waste landfills in all of Switzerland. History Bonfol is first mentioned in 1136 as ''Bunfol''. The munic ...

Canton of Jura The Republic and Canton of Jura (french: République et canton du Jura), less formally the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura ( , ), is the newest (founded in 1979) of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital ...

, Switzerland, Arthur was the middle brother of

Louis Chevrolet Louis-Joseph Chevrolet (; December 25, 1878 – June 6, 1941) was a Swiss-American race car driver, mechanic and entrepreneur who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911. Early life Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was born on December 25, 18 ...

(1878–1941), founder of the

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

car company; and

Gaston Chevrolet Gaston Chevrolet (4 October 1892 – 25 November 1920) was a French racecar driver and automobile manufacturer. Early life Born near Beaune, in the Côte-d'Or region of France where his Swiss parents had emigrated to a few years earlier, he w ...

(1892–1920). After brother Louis immigrated to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and earned enough money, he sent for Gaston and Arthur to join him. Once there, Arthur worked as an automotive mechanic and joined his brothers in auto racing. In 1911, he competed in the inaugural

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

but had to drop out after 30 laps when his

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

developed mechanical problems. In 1916, the year after older brother Louis left the Chevrolet car company that he had co-founded, Arthur Chevrolet assisted Louis and Gaston in the new

Frontenac Motor Corporation Frontenac Motor Corporation was a joint venture of Louis Chevrolet, Indy 500 winner Joseph Boyer Jr., Indianapolis car dealer William Small, and Zenith Carburetor president Victor Heftler. Per articles of Incorporation on file in the Michigan Sta ...

. Driving a Frontenac, Arthur qualified for the Indianapolis 500 again in 1916, but was forced out after 35 laps when the car developed

ignition magneto An ignition magneto, or high-tension magneto, is a magneto that provides current for the ignition system of a spark-ignition engine, such as a petrol engine. It produces pulses of high voltage for the spark plugs. The older term ''tensio ...

problems. His driving career ended during practice rounds for the 1920 Indianapolis 500 when he was severely injured in a crash. Brother Gaston won that year's race in a Frontenac, but Gaston was killed in a California race a few months later. In 1928, Arthur filed with the US Patent Office for an 'Overhead Valve Engine'. Patent #1,744,526 was awarded on January 21, 1930. In 1929 Arthur and Louis Chevrolet left the auto business altogether to form the Chevrolet Brothers Aircraft Company with a new engine of their design (Chevrolair). The business was unsuccessful and was eventually taken over by investors. Arthur and Louis returned to automobiles, becoming pioneer leaders in the development of sprint type race cars. In 1990 Arthur and his brother were inducted to the inaugural class of the

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers, owners, mechanics, builders, manufacturers, promoters, sanctioning officials and media members. The museum is located in Knoxville, Iowa, the h ...

. In 1942 Arthur Chevrolet retired to

Slidell, Louisiana Slidell is a city on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 28,781 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New Orleans− Metairie− Kenner metropolitan statistical area. Hi ...

. Suffering from depression, he committed suicide by hanging in 1946, only nine days shy of his 62nd birthday. Chevrolet grave - June 2022 - Sarah Stierch

Chevrolet grave - June 2022 - Sarah Stierch

Arthur Chevrolet has long been thought to be interred next to his brothers in the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

. A headstone was placed at the grave in 2011 to memorialize his life by the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United Sta ...

on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chevrolet Motor Company. The '' St. Tammany News'' (which ceased operations in early 2013) revealed in a series of articles in late August 2012 that Arthur was not buried in Holy Cross and St. Joseph Cemetery as previously believed but is most likely in a lost and unmarked grave in Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery in the city where he died,

.''The Advocate''
/ref> The grave thought to be that of Arthur Chevrolet for many years is in fact his son, Arthur Chevrolet Jr. who died at 23 years old in November 1931, 15 years prior to Arthur Sr. death.

Indy 500 results

References

External links

Arthur Chevrolet
at ChevroletBrothers.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Chevrolet, Arthur 1884 births 1946 suicides People from La Chaux-de-Fonds American people of Swiss-French descent Swiss emigrants to the United States Indianapolis 500 drivers National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees Suicides by hanging in Louisiana Burials at Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery People from Slidell, Louisiana 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Louisiana Racing drivers from Louisiana Automotive businesspeople 1946 deaths

Biography

Indy 500 results

See also

References

External links