Charles Stewart Mott Timeline
1875
C.S. Mott was born on June 2 in Newark, NJ. He had one sister, Edith.
1892
Graduated from Stevens High School in Hoboken, New Jersey.
1894
Became member of New York State Naval Militia.
1895
Mr. Mott's father, John Coon Mott, bought the Stahl Company that supplied carbonation to his vinegar and cider business, the Genesee Fruit Company. He changed the name of the Stahl Company to the C.S. Mott & Company for his son. Young Mott owned and managed it.
1896
Mr. Mott's father and uncle, Fred Mott, purchased the Weston Company that manufactured bicycle wheels and hubs and renamed it the Weston-Mott Company.
1897
Graduated with an engineering degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
1898/99
Served as Gunner's Mate First Class on U.S.S. Yankee in Spanish-American War.
1899
Discharged from the Navy.
1900
Married Ethel C. Harding in New York on June 14th. They had two daughters and a son.
1900
Mott's uncle appointed him Superintendent of the Weston-Mott Company when C.S. Mott's father died. Mott continued to manage his carbonating company. The C.S. Mott & Company was dissolved when Mott moved to Flint.
1901
Mott was chosen President of the Automobile Club of Utica, New York on October 15. This was one of the many clubs that joined together to form the American Automobile Association (AAA) in 1902.
1903
C.S. Mott and William Doolittle purchased the Weston-Mott Company from Mott's uncle. Mott was President.
1905
Mr. Mott and William Doolittle came to Flint in September at Billy Durant's request to consider building axles locally for Buick.
1906
Mott moved the Weston-Mott Company to Flint, Michigan in June. On August 8th the power was turned on and the company was running. William Doolittle died and Mott purchased Doolittle's stock, making him sole owner of the company.
1907
Mott personally organized the Flint affiliate of the AAA.
1908
General Motors was organized on September 16th.
1912
Elected Mayor of Flint as Independent Citizen's Party candidate on April 1st. Immediately began work to upgrade Flint's sanitary sewer system & build separate storm water system.
1913
Served as Mayor of Flint again. (elections were held yearly)
1913
Mr. Mott was elected director of General Motors. He served on GM's Board of Directors for 60 years. (1973)
1915/16
Lost Mayoral elections.
1915
Purchased 26-acre farm from J. Dallas Dort within Flint's city limits on August 2nd. Purchased 38.4 acres adjacent to the farm on December 24th from Charles Nash.
1916
Applewood was designed and built.
1916
Mr. Mott became Vice President of General Motors, serving until 1937. (21 years)
1918
Elected Mayor of Flint on March 6.
1918
Entered U.S. Army as a civilian as Chief of Production of the Motors Branch of the Army Quartermaster Corps in Detroit on August 1. He was formally commissioned as Major on October 29, which required him to resign as mayor.
1919
Discharged from service on January 31 as Major Quarter Master of the U.S. Army.
1921
Mott became Chief of the GM Advisory Staff at the Detroit Headquarters.
1924-34
Appointed civilian aide for Michigan to the Secretary of War. Responsibilities included promotion of recruiting for the Citizens Military Camp at Camp Custer.
1926
Established Charles Stewart Mott Foundation with $320,000.
1934
Married Ruth Rawlings of El Paso, Texas on October 13th. They had two daughters and a son.
1937
Mott ceased serving as Vice President of General Motors.
1939
The Mott Children's Health Center was established through the cooperation of the Flint Board of Education and the C.S. Mott Foundation.
1951
Opened first new school in Flint since 1929 – it was designed specifically with community education in mind. The Freeman Community School was a milestone in the relationship between the Mott Foundation and the Flint School System.
1952
Mott donated 32 acres of Applewood's unused pastureland to the Flint Board of Education for a new campus for Flint Junior College. (now Mott Community College)
1953
C.S. Mott volunteered with thousands of people to rebuild after a devastating tornado hit the Beecher area.
1956
University of Michigan-Flint was established with a $1,000,000 grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation. The Mott Memorial Building honoring his parents was the first university building and was built on Mott Community College's campus. Mr. Mott gave an additional $200,000 to furnish it.
1957
The first workshop on Community Education was held in Flint.
1964
C.S. Mott gave a grant to The University of Michigan to build the Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor.
1966
A new building for the Mott Children's Health Center in Flint was dedicated.
1970
C.S.Mott Foundation assets reach $400,000,000. (four hundred million dollars)
1972
Mott Lake, Mott Dam and the Genesee Recreation Area were dedicated in May. They were the last major projects that C.S. Mott would see completed.
1973
Mr. Mott passed away on February 18th. He was 97.
