George Foote Foss (September 30, 1876 – November 23, 1968) was a

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who operates machine tools, and has the ability to set up tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling machines. A competent machinist will generally have a strong mechan ...

, blacksmith, bicycle repairman and inventor from

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. He was the inventor of the Fossmobile, Canada's first successful gasoline-powered automobile which he manufactured in 1896.

Early life

Foss was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, in 1876 to Edwin Sherrill Foss and Ellen Sophia. His parents had emigrated from New England and initially farmed in Stanstead before moving to Sherbrooke, where his father became the city’s auction clerk. Foss was an entrepreneur at an early age. His first job was assisting his father on auction days by running up and down the streets of Sherbrooke, ringing a bell. At the age of twelve he was sweeping out the local Canadian post office, and by the age of fourteen, he was transferring bags of mail from the local post office to the Grand Trunk and

Quebec Central Railway The Quebec Central Railway was a railway in the Canadian province of Quebec, that served the Eastern Townships region south of the St. Lawrence River. Its headquarters was in Sherbrooke. It was originally incorporated in 1869 as the Sherbrooke, Ea ...

s, often with the help of a draft horse harnessed to a sleigh or buggy.

Career

Foss obtained electrical expertise, while apprenticing with Whitney Electrical Instrument Company, where he learned to assemble electrical instruments and wind electrical motors. About two years later, he joined the Stanley Electric Company in

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the most populous city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfi ...

, where he furthered his electrical experience. At 18, Foss returned to Sherbrooke and opened up his own shop, offering services in machining, blacksmithing, and bicycle repair. His first major project was to engineer a 52-volt boat motor which he mounted on top of the rudder with a bicycle chain running to the propeller. He designed and built thirty small storage batteries, which were stored under the seat. The motor was notably quiet and performed well for him, as he traversed the Magog and St Francis rivers. In 1896, Foss traveled to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

to purchase a turret lathe for his machine shop. He saw and rode in his first automobile there. It was an electrically driven brougham. However, after 30 minutes, the batteries in the car died. Upon returning to Sherbrooke, he began to design and build an automobile that would address the problem. He started with a chassis made of old bicycle frames. The Fossmobile's front mounted engine made maintenance easier and produced considerably less upward vibration felt through the seat. Additionally, the gear shifter for the Fossmobile was mounted directly on the tiller-style steering column. An innovation that wouldn't be adopted by other manufacturers for another 40 years. Fossmobile With No Motor

Foss never tried to market or mass-produce his automobile. Despite this, he turned down an offer from a private investor who was willing to finance the production of his automobile. In 1900, Foss met with

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

, who offered him a chance to help build a new company that Ford was trying to establish. However, Foss declined Ford's offer, believing that Ford's automobile was inferior to the Fossmobile. Shortly after their encounter, Ford went on to establish the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

. In 1902, Foss moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and became an automobile salesman, securing distribution rights for the

Crestmobile Crest Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of automobiles in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They built cars between 1901 and 1904. The 1904 ''Crestmobile'' was a touring car model, notable for its removable tonneau. With the tonneau in place, it ...

, which was manufactured in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. In this role, he was also able to test-drive various makes and models as they entered the market. He eventually had the opportunity to drive a Ford automobile, and remarked that it was indeed a well-made vehicle. In 1912, at the age of 37, Foss went back to working as a machinist. He opened a machine shop in Montreal and became a key contributor in the manufacturing of parts for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Foss retired in 1932 after a lengthy illness. He later purchased a steamship named "Island Queen", which he operated as an excursion boat on

Lake Saint-Louis Lake Saint-Louis (, ) is a lake in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa rivers. The Saint Lawrence Seaway passes through the lake. Lake St. Louis is a widening of the St. Lawrence River in the Hochela ...

Recognition

In 1960, Foss became an honorary member of the Vintage Automobile Club of Montreal. That same year, he was also awarded an honorary membership to the Antique Automobile Club of America. He and Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin are the only two Canadians to have received this honor. On August 23, 1997, the City of Sherbrooke, Quebec, unveiled a stone monument near the original site of his bicycle repair shop.

Personal life

Foss married Gertrude Louise Maclagan in 1902 in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He passed away in Chateauguay, Quebec, on November 23, 1968, at the age of 92.

References

External links