Arthur Davidson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to William C Davidson (1846-1923) who was born and grew up in Angus, Scotland and Margaret Adams McFarlane (1843-1933) of Scottish descent from the small Scottish settlement of Cambridge, Wisconsin and raised five children together, Janet May, William A., Walter, Arthur and Elizabeth.
Eventually they settled in Wisconsin and it was there that, in 1903, Arthur, went into business with William South. Harley, making motorcycles in his family shed. He was a story teller, salesman, and United States patriot. During World Wars I and II, Arthur and company diverted motorcycle production to support United States troops.
This act was rewarded with returning troops ready, trained and willing to buy Harley-Davidson branded motorcycles.
The "Honey Uncle" story is one of the family stories told about Davidson and a pivotal moment for the fate of Harley-Davidson company. One day shortly after Davidson"s cleaning lady visited, he discovered the seed money he had stashed between his mattress to start Harley-Davidson was missing.
Fortunately, Davidson was able to borrow the $500 in venture capital needed for Harley-Davidson from an uncle who owned a bee farm in Madison, Wisconsin. From then on, the uncle was known as the "Honey Uncle" for helping the business get off the ground.
The bee farm on Lake Mendota was later sold to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and is now known as Picnic Point in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve.
Arthur Davidson, Senior, was killed at the age of 69 in a two car collision 3 miles (48 km) south of Davidson"s home, a dairy farm, on Wisconsin Highway 59 near Waukesha, Wisconsin on December 30, 1950. Also killed in the accident were Davidson"s wife, Clara, as well as Dorothy and Donald Jeffery. Because Arthur Davidson, William South. Harley, William A. Davidson and Walter Davidson, "both used and believed in its products and relied on the dedication of its employees to produce quality motorcycles", the four men were inducted into the.
