Roy D. Chapin
Entrepreneur
President of the American Motors Corporation from 1967 to 1977. He introduced to American car buyers the Jeep.
He was part of the business consortium that formed the Hudson Motor Company and helped the formation of its subsidiary the Essex car company.
He was criticized for introducing a new line of cars at a time when their legacy models were struggling for relevance. However, the Jeep proved to be an instant success.
His son Roy D. Chapin Jr. followed in his footsteps in leading the American Motors Corporation.
He bought the struggling Jeep brand from the industrialist Henry J. Kaiser with the two forming the initial agreement over lunch.