University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
Harley received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1907.
1903
William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson with the first motorbike they ever made
1914
William Harley and Arthur Davidson in 1914
1930
Walter Davidson seated at the desk. Standing: William S. Harley, William A. Davidson, Arthur Davidson
1936
Arthur Davidson, Walter Davidson, William A. Davidson, William S. Harley
Lake Ripley, Wisconsin, USA
William Harley (2nd from left), Walter Davidson (4th from left), and Arthur Davidson (far right) on the porch of their cabin on Lake Ripley in Wisconsin.
The founders of Harley-Davidson, from left, William Davidson, Walter Davidson, Arthur Davidson, and William Harley
William Harley and Arthur Davidson
1903
William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson with the first motorbike they ever made
1914
William Harley and Arthur Davidson in 1914
1930
Walter Davidson seated at the desk. Standing: William S. Harley, William A. Davidson, Arthur Davidson
1936
Arthur Davidson, Walter Davidson, William A. Davidson, William S. Harley
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
Harley received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1907.
Lake Ripley, Wisconsin, USA
William Harley (2nd from left), Walter Davidson (4th from left), and Arthur Davidson (far right) on the porch of their cabin on Lake Ripley in Wisconsin.
The founders of Harley-Davidson, from left, William Davidson, Walter Davidson, Arthur Davidson, and William Harley
William Harley and Arthur Davidson
Ethnicity:
William Harley's parents emigrated to the United States from England in 1860.
William Harley was born on December 29, 1880, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the United States, to William Harley Sr., a railway engineer, and Mary Smith.
Recognizing the vital need for technical education to attain the heights in his chosen field, Harley quit work and enrolled in the School of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He graduated in 1907 and promptly returned to the rapidly growing Harley-Davidson Motor Company. His training as an engineer would prove to be one of the key factors in the successes the company would enjoy in the coming years.
Ambitious, with a good eye for business, Harley started his career at the age of 15 when he took a job at a bicycle factory. He worked together with his childhood friend, Arthur Davidson, who, like Harley, had a mind for mechanics. The two also shared a deep interest in bicycles and were convinced they could create a new kind of mechanized bike that would be easier to ride. Soon, the two friends began experimenting with gasoline engines and trying them out on their own bikes.
Harley and Davidson were convinced that their idea for a motorized bicycle was a viable one. If they could take the leg work out of riding a bike, folks could travel greater distances. In 1901, they set out to build a motorcycle, but there was just one problem. Neither one of them knew how. They conned Arthur Davidson’s older brother, Walter, to return home to Milwaukee from his job as a railroad machinist in Kansas with the promise that he could be the first to ride their new motorcycle. Walter Davidson was a bit surprised and angry to find, when he arrived home, that the motorcycle had not yet been built and that the Arthur Davidson and his friend, William Harley, expected him to build it. They had left that detail out of their letter to him.
Along with brothers Arthur, William, and Walter Davidson, the four men designed the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle in a relative's garage. Harley later returned to school in Milwaukee for the technical expertise that would enable him to modify and improve the machines he would build in the future.
In 1903 the four men formed the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, which they operated out of a small shed in the Davidson family's backyard. Harley's name was given top billing because he was credited with coming up with the original idea for a motorcycle. That first year, the company produced three bikes, which included a bike crank and pedals as well as a single-cylinder motor.
Building a motorcycle in the early 1900s presented challenges that the partners had to overcome, many similar to what Henry Ford and R.E. Olds were facing with manufacturing the automobile. Parts were not pre-made and had to be created from existing materials. This was an extremely labor-intensive task that took quite a lot of time. Gas stations had not yet been established, so fueling was a problem. Gas could only be purchased by the pint and only at drugstores.
Regardless of these difficulties and inconveniences, the business grew quickly and the bikes gained a reputation as a sturdy and reliable machine for getting around. The company built its headquarters in 1906 and incorporated in 1907, the same year that the four partners produced 150 machines. By 1910 the company employed 149 people. The four partners continued to speed production and managed to become one of the largest producers of motorcycles in America by 1915.
Over the next several decades Harley-Davidson continued to see a major boost in sales and popularity. They also were in-demand from the United States military, first ordered during a 1916 skirmish at the Mexican-United States border and later in the global conflicts that followed. With the onset of World War I, one third to half of the company's products were sent to the war effort.
In November of 1918, the first American to enter Germany crossed the border on a Harley-Davidson. The use of the machines in the war brought to light a new issue - a lack of people in the military that were able to repair and maintain the machines. To address the problem, Harley-Davidson set up a training class for the military in 1917.
During World War II, the American military ordered more than 60,000 Harley-Davidson bikes for the Allies' use overseas. Harley oversaw the deals between the company and the War Department. Post-war and into the 1950s, their motorcycles were the only American brand on the global market.
Up until his death, Harley served as the company's chief engineer and treasurer. He had proved instrumental in the company's success and introduction of new bikes.
As the head of Harley-Davidson's product development, evidence shows Harley’s tireless passion and forward-thinking ideas, even in the lean years of the Great Depression.
He had a hands-on approach with his team members and projects, making sure to test ride new motorcycles himself. All of the most important motorcycles in the first four decades of Harley-Davidson history were developed with William Harley’s oversight. In 1998, Harley was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio.
In the post-World War II era, the Harley-Davidson motorcycle became a symbol of freedom and the open road. The speed, power, and reliability of the motorcycle meant that Harleys were the gold standard in motorcycles, a reputation they still enjoy today.
Quotations: "We worked every day, Sunday included, until at least ten o’clock at night."
Harley was an avid racer and had a passion for testing out his new bikes. He rode in the early endurance runs and was a regular attendant at the big national race meets where his machines so frequently took the spoils of victory. Later in life, he developed a passion for wildlife photography and sketching.
William Harley married Anna Jachthuber in 1910. They had three children: Ann Mary, William J., and John.
Arthur Davidson, along with William Harley, formed the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company in a converted shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1903.
Walter Davidson was the president and one of the four original founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
When William A. Davidson joined with his two brothers Arthur and Walter, and with family friend William Harley in their efforts to design and build a new and better motorcycle, he completed the quartet that would go on to found the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
