A STUDENT’ S JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF A LEGEND
MOTOR MAGNATE BILLY DURANT’ S FASCINATING PATH
ABOVE RIGHT: Billy Durant, founder of
General Motors. BELOW: Chris Ponce and Justin Wetenhall at Billy Durant’ s Mausoleum
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BY JUSTIN WETENHALL
One rainy October afternoon, a college buddy and I left the glitz and glam of Manhattan, where we were visiting, and took a train to historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the borough of the Bronx. The security guard stopped us at the gate asking what our business was, and we told him we were looking for the grave of Billy Durant, founder of General Motors.
“ Youz guys are the first in years to ever look for him,” said the cheerful guard, who then drove us to the mausoleum in the security van.
Why would two Millennials make a trek to an old mausoleum up in the Bronx? It was my first trip to New York City. As a nerdy historian from Flint, this was as important to me as seeing the Statue of Liberty or a Broadway show for a proper Manhattan experience.
Growing up in Grand Blanc, in the shadow of Flint, I was surrounded with stories of the glory of General Motors and how it shaped the city I now call my home. But this trek, this story, holds fascination to the nation beyond the history and tradition of Michigan’ s association with motor vehicles.
General Motors was founded by William C. Durant. In 1895, Durant purchased the rights to a carriage design for $ 2,000, and, along with his friend and business partner J. Dallas Dort, established the Durant- Dort Carriage Company. Now, 130 years after Durant and Dort first went into business together, Durant’ s tomb lays nearly 688 miles away from the city he helped to build. I found that odd, as nearly all of the men who helped to build General Motors in Flint are buried in that town’ s historic and beautiful Glenwood Cemetery.
Why did one of America’ s most influential characters leave the city of his greatest triumph? It could be argued that without Durant and his work, Flint would have remained a small post-lumber boom town. Durant was significant to Flint and even world history, yet he is laid to rest in a cemetery many miles away from his city, his Flint.
Before he was known as the Wizard of Flint, William Crapo Durant was born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 8, 1861. Billy’ s middle name came from his grandfather, Michigan Gov. Henry Howland Crapo. It was Gov. Crapo’ s lumber yard that first brought young Billy to Flint. However, lumber was not his destiny.
By the 1890s, Durant was an executive at Carriage Manufacturing. He had a knack for sales, often going to county fairs and selling twice as many carriages than what the factory could produce. The world kept changing and soon carriage makers realized they might have to adapt to the next craze,“ horseless carriages.”
At first, Billy was not impressed. After riding in what was nicknamed Judge Wizner’ s Buzz Wagon, an early local novelty, he thought it was not worth his time. Yet by the turn of the 20 th century, he started his path into automotive history. Over the course of the next decade Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet came under Billy’ s control. On September 8, 1908, Durant officially founded General Motors in his second- story office, the Durant-Dort Office Building.
Michigan prospered during a century busy with wars, depression, boom and bust. GM helped put the nation on wheels, opening new opportunities for, among other things, tourism in Michigan. The nation rolled on through Prohibition, Civil Rights and presidential assassination, but what happened to Billy Durant? Like many men in his field, he became a millionaire overnight … but he would die virtually penniless.
By the 1920s, Durant had been kicked out of GM twice and left Flint for Wall Street to join the booming investment game. His luck ran out by October 1929 when he lost everything in the great crash on Black Friday.
It was in New York City where he would spend his declining years. His last business venture was a bowling alley that
he managed until the stroke that led to his death in 1947.
So he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the city where he made his last stand. My friend Chris and I were only too eager to visit his mausoleum, resting among New York’ s society and famous Broadway stars. In the end, he got the upper hand, if you ask me.
After paying our respects, we gave the security guard a sticker from the Durant Dort Carriage Office as a souvenir. He told us he would pass it on to the cemetery historian. I felt humbled at Durant’ s tomb, having sat in his office numerous times, telling the story of GM and Billy Durant to curious tourists.
Thanks for everything, Billy. I’ m glad I had the opportunity to visit you in New York City.
Justin Wetenhall is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint history department. He is a volunteer at the Durant Dort Carriage Company Office operated by the Genesee Country Historical Society, 316 Water St. Flint MI 48503. 810.410.4605
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Innovative Health- Winter 2017