Edward Holden
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Wheewall Holden (14 August 1885 – 17 June 1947) was an Australian vehicle manufacturer. He is considered the father of the Australian car industry.
), and educated at Prince Alfred College
and the University of Adelaide
(B.Sc., 1905).
and production control. In close association with General Motors Export Co.(General Motors
), the American-owned firm to which it was already supplying car-bodies, Holden's established a dominant market position throughout mainland Australia.
By 1929 the company employed 3,400 workers and was the biggest bodybuilder in the British Empire.
In October 1929 the plant closed temporarily for lack of continuous work, and in January 1930 Holden set out for the United States to discuss amalgamation with General Motors. In February 1931, General Motors offered £1,116,000 for Holden's. The offer was ultimately accepted. This reduced the cash burden of the merger for General Motors, while giving it complete control while maintaining an Australian character in name, ownership and management.
Holden became chairman of General Motors-Holden's Ltd, and was appointed joint managing director in August 1931 and later sole managing director. However, he was supplanted as managing director in 1934 by Laurence Hartnett. He then turned to other business activities and parliamentary service. He became honorary Controller-General of Army Canteens in 1939-45 and visited troops in the Middle East. He remained chairman of directors of General Motors-Holden's until ill health forced his resignation in January 1947.
Edward Holden was also prominent in many South Australian enterprises: the South Australian Brush Co., Australian Cotton Textile Industries, the Bank of Adelaide
, the Council of the University of Adelaide
, the South Australian Industries Assistance Corporation, the South Australian Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Manufactures, the Associated Chambers of Manufactures of Australia, the National Safety Council, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
.
representing the Liberal Party of Australia
.
, the first woman to represent South Australia in the Parliament of Australia
.
Early years
Edward Holden was born at College Town (now St. PetersSt. Peters, South Australia
St Peters is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Norwood Payneham St Peters.The suburb was first settled in 1838, with allotments sold to investors in the South Australia Company. It was originally a separate town and was named after the Church of England's school of St Peter...
), and educated at Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College is an independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia...
and the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
(B.Sc., 1905).
Career
Holden joined the family firm Holden & Frost started by his father Henry James Holden (1859–1926). He was influential in Holden's expansion into motor-body building, and its use of highly automated mass production technology. He introduced to the business new standards of scientific management, cost accountingCost accounting
Cost accounting information is designed for managers. Since managers are taking decisions only for their own organization, there is no need for the information to be comparable to similar information from other organizations...
and production control. In close association with General Motors Export Co.(General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
), the American-owned firm to which it was already supplying car-bodies, Holden's established a dominant market position throughout mainland Australia.
By 1929 the company employed 3,400 workers and was the biggest bodybuilder in the British Empire.
In October 1929 the plant closed temporarily for lack of continuous work, and in January 1930 Holden set out for the United States to discuss amalgamation with General Motors. In February 1931, General Motors offered £1,116,000 for Holden's. The offer was ultimately accepted. This reduced the cash burden of the merger for General Motors, while giving it complete control while maintaining an Australian character in name, ownership and management.
Holden became chairman of General Motors-Holden's Ltd, and was appointed joint managing director in August 1931 and later sole managing director. However, he was supplanted as managing director in 1934 by Laurence Hartnett. He then turned to other business activities and parliamentary service. He became honorary Controller-General of Army Canteens in 1939-45 and visited troops in the Middle East. He remained chairman of directors of General Motors-Holden's until ill health forced his resignation in January 1947.
Edward Holden was also prominent in many South Australian enterprises: the South Australian Brush Co., Australian Cotton Textile Industries, the Bank of Adelaide
Bank of Adelaide
The Bank of Adelaide was founded in 1865 in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It was incorporated by an act of the Parliament of South Australia. It was taken over in 1979 by ANZ, and merged into that organisation, after bailing out a subsidiary finance company that had lent too much to...
, the Council of the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, the South Australian Industries Assistance Corporation, the South Australian Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Manufactures, the Associated Chambers of Manufactures of Australia, the National Safety Council, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the city of Pretoria...
.
Politics
He was elected as a councillor and alderman of the Adelaide City Council, and to the South Australian Legislative CouncilSouth Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...
representing the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
.
Death
He died in North Adelaide of cerebro-vascular disease on 17 June 1947, aged 61, and was survived by his wife, Hilda May (née Lavis), a son and two daughters. One of those daughters was Nancy ButtfieldNancy Buttfield
Dame Nancy Buttfield DBE was an Australian Senator and the first woman to serve in the Australian Parliament as a representative of the state of South Australia....
, the first woman to represent South Australia in the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
.
See also
- HoldenHoldenGM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
- Laurence Hartnett