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Clarence Winfred Spicer (November 30, 1875 – November 21, 1939) was an American automotive engineer and inventor, best known for the first practical design and use of the
Spicer was born November 30, 1875, in
universal joint
A universal joint (also called a universal coupling or U-joint) is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges ...
in automotive applications.
Early life and education
Spicer was born November 30, 1875, in Edelstein, Illinois
Edelstein is an unincorporated village just off Illinois Route 40 in Peoria County, Illinois, north of Peoria City Hall, approximately north of the city limits of Peoria and west of Chillicothe.
Edelstein's main business is a manufacturing ...
to John and Cornelia Babcock Spicer; the third of four children.Snyder, pp 11–12 The Spicer family operated a creamery
A creamery is a place where milk and cream are processed and where butter and cheese is produced. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream ret ...
and at a young age Spicer learned how to maintain the creamery equipment while helping his father. In 1891, due to the Spicer family's Seventh Day Baptist
Seventh Day Baptists are Baptists who observe the Sabbath as the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as a holy day to God. They adopt a covenant Baptist theology, based on the concept of regenerated society, conscious baptism of believers by immer ...
religion, Spicer was sent to the church's Alfred Academy in Alfred, New York
Alfred is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 4,896 at the 2020 census.
The Town of Alfred has a village named Alfred in the center of the town.
Alfred University and Alfred State College are located in ...
to complete his education.Snyder, pp 2–3 He returned home without finishing school in 1894 to help his father with the creamery business after his father was injured in farming accident. On December 1, 1896, Spicer married Anna Olive Burdick, a fellow student at Alfred. The couple took up residence near the family dairy farm at Edelstein.Snyder, pp 3–4 In 1899, Spicer enrolled in mechanical and electrical engineering courses at