William C. Durant

Generally called “Billy” for all his life, William C. Durant was the founder of General Motors. He establishes another company called Durant Motors, where he sought to replicate the broad scope of General Motors by acquiring Star Motors to compete with cheap Fords and the luxurious Locomobilne to compete with high-priced Cadillacs and Packards. However, the company remained as a rising concern for Durant for several years. He lost much of his finances in the Wall Street collapse in 1929 and shuttered in 1933. After this, he purchased a bowling alley in Flint that went bankrupt in less than a year.