Arthur Martin Graffis(October 13, 1885 in Logansport, Indiana – November 4, 1933) was a prominent automotive engineer, serving as Chief Engineer of Auburn Automobile

Auburn Automobile

Auburn was a brand name of American automobiles produced from 1900 through 1936.-Corporate history:The Auburn Automobile Company grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company, founded in Auburn, Indiana, in 1875 by Charles Eckhart...

 (1915–1922) and as Chief Engineer (1922–1932) and Interim President (1930) of Elcar

Elcar

The Elcar was an American automobile manufactured from 1915 until 1931. The car was produced by the Elkhart Carriage Company of Elkhart, Indiana, which had been in business for over 30 years before producing its first car.-Production:...

 Automotive. During Elcar’s bankruptcy, A. M. Graffis (“Mike”) was appointed court trustee of Elcar’s assets. He led a two year battle (1931–33) to attract investors and save the company, but was killed in an automobile accident. The company was dissolved shortly thereafter.

Family

Arthur Graffis came from a prominent family of engineers. His grandfather, Abraham Graffis, built most of the covered bridges in Cass County, Indiana

Cass County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,930 people, 15,715 households, and 10,921 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 16,620 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...

, and had substantial land holdings around Logansport. His father, William Graffis, was an influential businessman, founder of Graffis & Sons Shoe Company, and an organizer of the Logansport State Bank.

Through his grandmother, Elizabeth Thornton Graffis, he was a member of the influential Thornton family of Logansport, Indiana

Logansport, Indiana

Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,396 at the 2010 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana, at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northeast of Lafayette.-History:...

. His grandmother was a sister of prominent lawyer Henry Clay Thornton, father of Sir Henry Worth Thornton; Dr. William Patton Thornton

William Patton Thornton

Dr. William Patton Thornton , son of William and Martha Patton Thornton, was a prominent physician, educator, author, politician, and member of the influential Thornton family of Logansport, Indiana...

, a prominent Cincinnati physician; and Dr. Joseph Lyle Thornton, a prominent educator and Past-President of the Ohio Valley Paper Company. Judge William Wheeler Thornton

William Wheeler Thornton

William Wheeler Thornton was an Indiana lawyer, Attorney General, judge, and author. He was born in Logansport, Indiana, to John Allen and Elizabeth B. Thomas Thornton, members of respectable farming families...

, academic Helen Thornton Geer

Helen Thornton Geer

Helen Thornton Geer was a prominent author, professor, and librarian. She was the author of the 1955 Library Science classic “Charging Systems,” which detailed library circulation systems...

, socialite James Worth Thornton

James Worth Thornton

James Worth Thornton was a businessman and scion of the politically and socially connected Thorntons of Indiana. Thornton was the son of Sir Henry Worth Thornton and Lady Virginia Blair, daughter of banker and steel magnate George Dike Blair...

, and silver screen actress Edna Goodrich

Edna Goodrich

Edna Goodrich was an American Broadway actress, Florodora girl, author, and media sensation during the early 1900s. At one point, she was known as one of America's wealthiest and best dressed performers. She was married to Edwin Stacey of Cincinnati, Ohio, and later Nat C...

were cousins.

Arthur M. Graffis was married to Kate Moores and had three sons: Arthur Jr., William, and Harry.