George E. Daniels

George Emery Daniels (April 17, 1875 – March 24, 1954) was an American automobile industry executive who was the founder of Daniels Motor Company.

Early life Daniels was born in Franklin, Massachusetts on April 17, 1875, to Mancy M. and Mary E. Daniels. In 1898, he graduated from Tufts College, where he played tackle for the school's football team. In 1901 he graduated from Harvard Law School. On August 2, 1912, Daniels married Marion (Philips) Hart, ex-wife of Charles Henry Hart, in Philadelphia. They had one son, George Emery Daniels Jr. Daniels chose to remain with GM as the manager of Buick's Philadelphia branch. In 1910, he was named vice president and general manager of another GM division, the Oakland Motor Car Company. During his four years in charge of Oakland, Daniels was able to double the company's sales from $500,000 a year to $1 million. He left Oakland in 1914.

Daniels Motor Company In 1915, Daniels organized the Daniels Motor Company to construct luxury eight-cylinder, closed-body vehicles that were close to custom made. In 1920, due to increased business, the Daniels Motor Company underwent a major restructuring. It acquired the Keystone Vehicle Works, which had manufactured bodies for Daniels. The company spent too much on raw materials and equipping its factory to remain profitable and on January 19, 1923, with $840,000 in liabilities, the Daniels Motor Car Company went into receivership. The company's assets were sold off the following year.

Later career From 1924 to 1929, Daniels was vice president and general manager of the Locomobile Company of America, a subsidiary of his former GM boss William C. Durant's Durant Motors. In 1934, he was elected to the board of directors of the Munson Steamship Line.

Later life After leaving Locomobile, Daniels returned to the practice of law. He had an office in New York City until the early 1950s, when he moved to Danbury, Connecticut. He died on March 24, 1954, at Danbury Hospital.