Lee Hunter
Encyclopedia
Lee Hunter was an automotive
engineer.
His inventions include the "Kwikurent" device for the rapid charging of a car battery
, and a machine to balance car wheels while they spin. He founded Hunter Engineering Company in 1946. For his "dramatic impact on the development of the automobile and the automotive industry" he was inducted posthumously into the Automotive Hall of Fame
in Dearborn, Michigan.
. He put this new product on the market and during the Great Depression, the Lee Hunter, Jr., Manufacturing Co. sold the $497 Kwikurent charger as fast as the company could make them. After serving in both the U.S. Army Engineering Corps and Ordnance Corps during World War II, Hunter returned to St. Louis in 1946 and reopened his business under the name of Hunter Engineering. Lee Hunter also laid the foundation for a global distribution base for Hunter products. In 1955 Hunter developed a new wheel alignment system called 'Lite-A-Line,' which became the industry standard. In 1962, Hunter's 'Tune-Align' became the first mechanical alignment system capable of compensating for lateral wheel runout, a major factor affecting wheel alignment precision. Hunter Engineering continued to grow its export markets and in 1964 was named by the U.S. Department of Commerce as a winner of the E-Award for excellence in the development of export trade.
Nearly 50 years after Lee Hunter founded Hunter Engineering Company, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame
in Dearborn, Michigan
. In this shrine of automotive history, Lee Hunter shares the spotlight with automotive
industry giants like Henry Ford
, Louis Chevrolet
, Walter P. Chrysler and Soichiro Honda
. The Hall of Fame places Hunter among “individuals who have made a dramatic impact on the development of the automobile and the automotive industry…”
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
engineer.
His inventions include the "Kwikurent" device for the rapid charging of a car battery
Car battery
An automotive battery is a type of rechargeable battery that supplies electric energy to an automobile. Usually this refers to an SLI battery to power the starter motor, the lights, and the ignition system of a vehicle’s engine...
, and a machine to balance car wheels while they spin. He founded Hunter Engineering Company in 1946. For his "dramatic impact on the development of the automobile and the automotive industry" he was inducted posthumously into the Automotive Hall of Fame
Automotive Hall of Fame
The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum and hall of fame covering automotive innovations.-Location:Located in the metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, the museum shares a parking lot with The Henry Ford.-External links:*...
in Dearborn, Michigan.
Professional history
Lee Hunter, Jr., as a 23-year-old St. Louis architecture student, found himself frequently confronted with car battery failure in his Packard convertible automobile. In 1936, it took several days to recharge a car battery. Hunter sought to find a better, faster way to recharge batteries. With the help of a former Washington University electrical engineering professor, Hunter began developing a new design. His "quickcharge" battery recharger was based on a diverter pole generatorElectrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
. He put this new product on the market and during the Great Depression, the Lee Hunter, Jr., Manufacturing Co. sold the $497 Kwikurent charger as fast as the company could make them. After serving in both the U.S. Army Engineering Corps and Ordnance Corps during World War II, Hunter returned to St. Louis in 1946 and reopened his business under the name of Hunter Engineering. Lee Hunter also laid the foundation for a global distribution base for Hunter products. In 1955 Hunter developed a new wheel alignment system called 'Lite-A-Line,' which became the industry standard. In 1962, Hunter's 'Tune-Align' became the first mechanical alignment system capable of compensating for lateral wheel runout, a major factor affecting wheel alignment precision. Hunter Engineering continued to grow its export markets and in 1964 was named by the U.S. Department of Commerce as a winner of the E-Award for excellence in the development of export trade.
Nearly 50 years after Lee Hunter founded Hunter Engineering Company, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame
Automotive Hall of Fame
The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum and hall of fame covering automotive innovations.-Location:Located in the metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, the museum shares a parking lot with The Henry Ford.-External links:*...
in Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. In this shrine of automotive history, Lee Hunter shares the spotlight with automotive
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
industry giants like Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
, Louis Chevrolet
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...
, Walter P. Chrysler and Soichiro Honda
Soichiro Honda
was a Japanese engineer and industrialist, and founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..Honda was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan on November 17, 1906. He spent his early childhood helping his father, Gihei, a blacksmith, with his bicycle repair business. At the time his mother, Mika, was a weaver. At...
. The Hall of Fame places Hunter among “individuals who have made a dramatic impact on the development of the automobile and the automotive industry…”