Frederick Samuel Fish (8 February 1852 – 13 August 1936), born in Newark, was an American lawyer, politician and automotive manufacturing executive. Originally a successful corporation lawyer, he entered the

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...

corporation through marriage and became the corporation's president in 1909 and chairman of the board from 1915 to 1935. He is credited with introducing the manufacture of Studebaker cars, first

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

, then gasoline-powered.

Early life

His parents were the Rev. Henry Clay and Clarissa (Jones) Fish. He attended

Newark Academy Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. It was the first school in New Jersey to offer the International Ba ...

and entered the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

, graduating with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree in 1873. He then studied law, was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1876, and practised in Newark and in New York City from 1876 to 1890.

Political career

He was city attorney of Newark (1880–1884), a member of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

(1884–85) and a member of the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

from Essex County (1885–1887), serving as president of that body during his last term.

Career with Studebaker Corporation

In 1891, Fred Fish married Grace, the daughter of

John Studebaker John Mohler Studebaker (10 October 1833 – 16 March 1917) was the Pennsylvania Dutch co-founder and later executive of what would become the Studebaker, Studebaker Corporation automobile company. He was the third son of the founding Studebaker fa ...

and entered the Studebakers' wagon-making firm as a director and general counsel. In 1897, he became chairman of the executive committee. However, he was more than a lawyer—he was an aviation enthusiast, even before the

Wright brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

flew at Kitty Hawk. In 1895, he was talking about his ideas for a practical horseless carriage and, in 1897, the firm had an engineer working on a motor vehicle. He can therefore be identified as the first person to initiate production of motor vehicles at the world's largest maker of wagons and carriages at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1919, his son Frederick Studebaker Fish was listed as a Studebaker director in the company history written by president

Albert Russel Erskine Albert Russel Erskine (January 24, 1871 – July 1, 1933) was an American businessman. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, he worked in a number of manufacturing industries before joining the Studebaker motor car manufacturing firm in 1911. He served as ...

.Erskine A
''History of the Studebaker Corporation''
South Bend 1918, page 7. (Free download from Google Books)

References

*Erskine A
''History of the Studebaker Corporation''
South Bend 1918 (free PDF download at Google Books) *Longstreet, Stephen ''A Century on Wheels: The Story of Studebaker, A History, 1852–1952'', Henry Holt and Co, N.Y. (1952)

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Frederick Samuel American automotive pioneers Newark Academy alumni Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party New Jersey state senators Presidents of the New Jersey Senate 1852 births 1936 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature