A. E. Barit

Abraham Edward Barit (August 30, 1890 – July 14, 1974) was an American industrialist who served as the president and CEO of the Hudson Motor Car Company from 1936 to 1954 when Hudson merged with Nash Motors to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Barit served on the board of AMC following the merger of the two automakers.

Career Barit was born to poor parents in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was briefly the secretary for the purchasing agent at the Chalmers-Detroit Motor Company. He began his career with Hudson in 1910, by joining the firm's purchasing department, less than six months after the production of the company's first automobile. He was a stenographer, and had no flair for market analysis, product development, or design.

Barit was named president and CEO of Hudson following the death of the corporation's founding president and CEO Roy D. Chapin in 1936. Sales of Hudson rebounded through the economic recession of 1938. Marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of the company in 1939, Barit kept up an optimistic business view by highlighting Hudson's opportunities.

However, the domestic automobile industry was fiercely competitive with many once-famous firms such as Hupmobile, Chandler, Peerless, Winton, and Pierce-Arrow going bankrupt and Hudson facing a similar fate as it posted a loss of $1.5 million in 1940.

The company shifted quickly for World War II production. Hudson made antiaircraft guns, engines for landing barges, and aircraft parts netting an average of nearly $2 million a year during the war. Moran fancied the 1952 Ford's wrap-around rear window and roofline, thus influenced Barit to introduce a similar design for the new car. The final result was that the car's styling closely mimicked the larger 1952-1954 Ford in many respects which emerged as the antithesis of the low-slung step-down bodies.

The new compact car, named the Hudson Jet, did not attract buyers, and the expense of its development (and failure) combined with Hudson's lack of resources to update their senior line of cars spelled the end for the company. Hudson Motors was subsequently acquired through a friendly merger by Nash Motors in 1954, creating American Motors Corporation (AMC).

Barit served on the board of AMC until 1956 when he resigned in protest over the likelihood that Hudson would be phased out of production. Barit felt that his trust in AMC had been betrayed. George W. Romney, AMC's president, felt that Hudson and Nash were no longer relevant players in the automotive market and retired both names at the end of the 1957 model year production to make way for the new Rambler brand.

For personal use, Barit had a 1951 Hudson modified by the Derham Body Company to a limousine that was later updated to Hudson's 1953 front-end treatment. This car is now part of the collections at The Henry Ford.

According to his son, Robert Barit, the last car that A. E. Barit owned was a Hudson, and after it was retired, he refused to own any other automobile brand.

A. E. Barit died at his home in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, on July 14, 1974.

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