About Walter P. Chrysler

Born in Wamego, Kansas in 1875, Walter P. Chrysler developed a fascination with machines early on, landing his first job with a locomotive company as a 5¢ an hour machinist’s apprentice. Soon recognized for the quality of the things that he made, his reputation for quick, quality work rapidly moved him from sweeping floors to master mechanic.

Mr. Chrysler ultimately rose to plant manager in his successful career in the railroad industry before he switched gears and entered the automotive arena. He took the helm of three automobile manufacturers before establishing the company that bore his name in 1925, serving as president for ten years and then chairman until his death in 1940.

“The fun I had experienced in making things as a boy was magnified a hundredfold when I began making things as a man. There is in manufacturing a creative joy only poets are supposed to know.”

— Walter P. Chrysler