Background
Osborn, Cyrus Richard was born on August 27, 1897 in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Son of Cyrus and Stella (Hopkins) Osborn.
Osborn, Cyrus Richard was born on August 27, 1897 in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Son of Cyrus and Stella (Hopkins) Osborn.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Osborn served in World War I and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with an Mechanical Engineering degree in 1921.
He is best known for inventing the railroad dome car in 1947. Osborn then started as an apprentice with Dayton Engineering Laboratories (a division of General Motors). He rose through the ranks to manage G.M."s overseas division, and then became the second in command at G.M."s Opel division in Germany in 1936.
His leadership of Opel from 1937 to 1940 was marked by increasing controversy as tensions between the United States and Germany increased prior to the outbreak of World World War World War II Osborn was elected a vice president of the corporation in 1943.
He retired from G.M. in 1962 after 45 years of service. Although Osborn was senior executive at the plant, German law under Nazi power required firms to appoint a plant leader (Betriebsfuhrer).
To mask United States. control of the plant Rudolf A. Fleischer was awarded this position. Fleischer had previously been a treasurer of the plant and had fought for Germany in World War I. His Nazi imposed post was not a part of Opel’s managerial structure.
However Fleischer consistently attempted to undermine Osborn’s leadership.
The breaking point between the two was reached on April 20, 1938. Fleischer and Osborn had planned to present a new Opel model to Hitler on his birthday. However Fleischer left Osborn behind and presented the car to Hitler by himself.
In doing so Fleischer had given the United States. leadership of G.M. grounds for termination, and to Osborn’s satisfaction on May 25, 1938 Fleischer resigned from his position.
Cyrus Osborn is credited with saving a Jewish man who was in a concentration camp. Willy Hoffman was employed in Opel’s Rüsselsheim factory until a questionnaire in which he stated he was Jewish resulted in his termination.
Upon learning of his plight Osborn urged him to apply for a job at G.M.’s British subsidiary Vauxhall Motors. Osborn explained the situation to a colleague at Vauxhall and promised Hoffman would be a good fit.
After delays occasioned by British immigration restrictions and Hoffman’s one month long incarceration in a Nazi concentration camp.
Served as private, United States Army, 1918-1919. Member Society Automotive Engineers, Phi Delta Theta, Tau Beta Pi. Clubs: Detroit, Bloomfield Hills Country, Economic.
Married Jeannette Powell, February 20, 1926. Children: Sarah Ann, Cyrus William.