The people who built Cummins

Clessie Cummins was born on a farm in Henry County, Indiana, where he spent his boyhood tinkering with anything that he could get his hands on. Clessie was the oldest of five children in a family that moved around frequently. By the time he turned 16, Clessie had attended 13 different schools with varying educational quality. In 1904, the Cummins family moved to Columbus, Indiana, where Clessie would live for the majority of his adult life. Upon arriving in Columbus, Clessie left school with the equivalent of an 8th-grade education.

Clessie always had a talent for inventing and engineering, so he spent the rest of his teen years working for several of Indiana’s early automotive and machining companies, including Marmon Motor Car Company. He eventually found himself in the employ of the Irwin family, who would prove essential to Clessie’s entrepreneurial journey. 

In 1919, at the age of 30, Clessie learned about an opportunity to license oil-burning engine technology from an inventor named Rasmus Hvid. He went to his employer and friend, W.G. Irwin, to ask for an initial investment to pay the licensing fee. Mr. Irwin and a group of his friends provided the funds to launch Clessie’s new venture, Cummins Engine Company. 

As the founder of Cummins Engine Company, Clessie worked tirelessly to make the company a success. When the technology licensed from Mr. Hvid no longer served the company's needs, Clessie dedicated himself to designing his own engines. Clessie enjoyed boating, so naturally, many of his designs worked well in marine applications. This included his Model U engine, which found success in the yachting industry. 

Devastation struck the United States in October 1929 when the stock market crashed, plunging the Country into the Great Depression. Cummins Engine Company’s business dried up overnight, and W.G. Irwin told Clessie to close the company for good. 

Fortunately, Clessie had a grand idea to save the company. He went to Indianapolis to find a car with the largest chassis he could find, a Packard limousine. He brought this car back to Columbus, where Clessie and his team replaced its gas-powered engine with the diesel-powered Model U. This was the first time in recorded history that a diesel engine had been installed in a car. W.G. Irwin was so impressed by Clessie’s innovation that he agreed to continue to fund the company. Cummins Engine Company was saved! Now Clessie just needed to drum up some business....

Read more about Clessie’s efforts in the next edition of The People Who Built Cummins.