Morris Markin (Russian: Морис Маркин) (July 15, 1893 – July 8, 1970) was a Russian-born American businessman who founded the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company (which would later become the Checker Motors Corporation).
Born in to a Jewish family[1] in Smolensk, a city in western Russia, Morris Markin worked in a clothing factory during his young years. His determination and hard work got him promoted to a supervisor position by the age of nineteen, when he emigrated to the United States in November 1912. When he arrived at Ellis Island, he spoke no English and couldn't afford to pay the bond required to enter the country. A janitor at the facility loaned him the twenty-five dollars he needed for the bond.
From New York City, Markin went to Chicago to live with his uncle. He held several jobs as an errand boy, the last for a tailor who taught him the trade. When the tailor died, Markin purchased the business on credit from the widow. He worked hard and saved enough money to bring seven brothers and two sisters to the States. Markin then teamed up with one of the brothers and opened a factory which made pants under government contracts during World War I. This company prospered after the war.
Formation of Checker Cab
In 1921, Markin entered the automobile business when he collected an auto body manufacturing company from an engineer named Lomberg. Markin had loaned fifteen-thousand-dollars to Lomberg earlier in an effort to keep the company afloat. When it failed, Lomberg returned to Markin to ask for more money. Markin refused and took over the company for his debt. He then picked up a failed automobile manufacturer, Commonwealth Motors, and with it the accountant, Ralph E. Oakland. Then, in a bold move, Markin purchased the defunct Handley-Knight chassis plant and the Dort body plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He moved his entire operation to Kalamazoo and on February 2, 1922 formed the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company.
^Time Magazine: "Business: Checkered Yellow" September 22, 1930
External links
Internet Checker Taxicab Archive
January 21, 2023
morris, markin, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Morris Markin news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Morris Markin Russian Moris Markin July 15 1893 July 8 1970 was a Russian born American businessman who founded the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company which would later become the Checker Motors Corporation Morris MarkinBornZalman TamarkinJuly 15 1893Smolensk RussiaDiedJuly 8 1970 1970 07 08 aged 76 NationalityAmericanKnown forfounder of Checker Motors Corporation Contents 1 Early years 2 Formation of Checker Cab 3 References 4 External linksEarly years EditBorn in to a Jewish family 1 in Smolensk a city in western Russia Morris Markin worked in a clothing factory during his young years His determination and hard work got him promoted to a supervisor position by the age of nineteen when he emigrated to the United States in November 1912 When he arrived at Ellis Island he spoke no English and couldn t afford to pay the bond required to enter the country A janitor at the facility loaned him the twenty five dollars he needed for the bond From New York City Markin went to Chicago to live with his uncle He held several jobs as an errand boy the last for a tailor who taught him the trade When the tailor died Markin purchased the business on credit from the widow He worked hard and saved enough money to bring seven brothers and two sisters to the States Markin then teamed up with one of the brothers and opened a factory which made pants under government contracts during World War I This company prospered after the war Formation of Checker Cab EditIn 1921 Markin entered the automobile business when he collected an auto body manufacturing company from an engineer named Lomberg Markin had loaned fifteen thousand dollars to Lomberg earlier in an effort to keep the company afloat When it failed Lomberg returned to Markin to ask for more money Markin refused and took over the company for his debt He then picked up a failed automobile manufacturer Commonwealth Motors and with it the accountant Ralph E Oakland Then in a bold move Markin purchased the defunct Handley Knight chassis plant and the Dort body plant in Kalamazoo Michigan He moved his entire operation to Kalamazoo and on February 2 1922 formed the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company In 1929 he purchased the Yellow Cab Company from John Hertz References Edit Time Magazine Business Checkered Yellow September 22 1930External links EditInternet Checker Taxicab Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Morris Markin amp oldid 1112196336, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
