Word: frazer
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Back in 1933, Willys nose-dived into receivership. In 1939 tall, round-faced, 200-lb. Joseph Washington Frazer came to Willys as president and general manager. To Joe Frazer the auto business was old stuff. At 20 he left Yale to take a mechanic's job with Packard Motor Car Co. at 16? an hour. He wanted to be in a business "where everything moved." One of the fastest movers was Joe Frazer. He left Packard for General Motors, switched to Chevrolet, left to form the Pierce Arrow Finance Co., settled down for a long stay with Chrysler Corp...
...Willys he borrowed fresh capital, rebuilt his dealer organization. In 1939, Willys lost $1,862,232, in 1940 another $873,115. Then, when Army Quartermaster Corps cast about for a midget reconnaissance car, Joe Frazer saw his chance to cash in on Willys' small-car making. By sweating his engineers and production men Joe Frazer soon had the joy of seeing the Willys car became the Army standard jeep...
Cropper for Frazer. The jeep helped tug Willys into the profit column in '41 for the first time in four years. With 70% of its dollar volume in jeeps in '42, Willys totted up $1,265,399 in net profits, boosted its net to $1,347,949 for the fiscal six months ending last March...
With an eye on the postwar world (and the jeep-conscious soldiers who will buy cars) Joe Frazer had tried-by splashy ads-to make Willys and jeep synonymous. For the first time on his jeep joy ride, Joe Frazer came a cropper. The Federal Trade Commission issued a complaint against Willys. (The complainant was not revealed, but the complaint alleged that the jeep idea was originated by the American Bantam Car Co.) Willys was charged with misrepresentation in claiming that it created and perfected the jeep, in cooperation with the Quartermaster Corps...
...Frazer and Willys have gone on advertising, unabashed by the FTC order, which they answered last week. They denied that they had violated any FTC provisions in advertising, stated that the Willys ads had been submitted to the Army before publication and insisted that Willys "in cooperation . . . with the Quartermaster Corps originated the design for the jeep and did not copy it from . . . any other manufacturer." Hearings by FTC will be held later. But Joe Frazer and Willys regard the matter as academic-the Willys-designed jeep is the only one being produced in the U.S. today...