George B. Selden, born September 14, 1846 in Clarkson, New York, died January 17, 1922 in Rochester, New York, was a lawyer and inventor who was granted the first U.S. patent for an automobile. The idea of a horseless carriage was in the air during George's youth, but its practicality was uncertain. In 1859, his father, Judge Henry R. Selden, a prominent Republican attorney, moved to Rochester, New York, where George briefly attended the University of Rochester before dropping out to enlist in the Sixth U.S. Cavalry, Union Army. This was not to the liking of his father who after pulling some strings and having some earnest discussions with his son managed to have him released from duty and enrolled in Yale. George did not do well at Yale in his law studies, preferring the technical studies offered by the Sheffield Scientific Institute, but did manage to finish his course of study and pass the New York bar 1871 and joined his fathers practice. September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Clarkson is a town located in Monroe County, New York. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Rochester, also known as both The Flower City, and The Flour City, is a city in Monroe County, New York, United States. ... A lawyer or attorney at law is a person licensed by the state to advise clients in legal matters and represent them in courts of law (and in other forms of dispute resolution). ... An inventor is a person who creates new inventions, typically technical devices such as mechanical, electrical or software devices or methods. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor or applicant for a limited amount of time (normally maximum 20 years from the filing date, depending on extension). ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... Rochester, also known as both The Flower City, and The Flour City, is a city in Monroe County, New York, United States. ... Located in Rochester, New York and founded in 1850, the University of Rochester is a private, coeducational and nonsectarian institution. ... The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. ... This article is about the institution of higher learning in the United States. ...

He married shortly thereafter to Clara Drake Woodruff, by whom he had 4 children. He continued his hobby of inventing in a workshop in his father's basement, inventing a typewriter and a hoop making machine. Inspired by the mammoth internal combustion engine invented by George Brayton displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, Seldon began working on a smaller lighter version, succeeding by 1878 in producing a one cylinder 400 pound version which featured an enclosed crankshaft with the help of Rochester machinist, Frank H. Clement and his assistant William Gomm. He filed for a patent on May 8, 1879. His application included not only the engine but its use in a 4 wheeled car. He then, in a series of transparent legal maneuvers, filed a series of amendments to his application which stretched out the process resulting in a delay of 16 years before the patent, Patent 549,160, was granted on November 5, 1895, the Selden Patent. A colorized automobile engine An internal combustion engine is an engine that is powered by the expansion of hot combustion products of fuel directly acting within an engine. ... The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official worlds fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. ... Crankshaft Continental engine marine crankshafts, 1942 The crankshaft is that part of an engine which translates linear piston motion into rotation. ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

George B. Seldens Road-Engine U.S. Patent No. ...

Shortly thereafter the fledgling American auto industry began its first efforts and George Selden, despite never actually producing a working model of an automobile, had a credible claim to have patented the automobile. In 1899 he sold his patent rights to William C. Whitney, who proposed manufacturing electric powered taxicabs as the Electric Vehicle Company, EVC, for a royalty of $15 per car with a minimum annual payment of $5,000. Whitney and Shelden then worked together to collect royalties from other budding automobile manufacturers. He was initially successful, negotiating a 1/2 of 1 percent royalty on all cars sold by the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers, the ALAM. He began his own car company in Rochester under the name, Selden Motor Car Company. William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841 - February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier. ...

However, Henry Ford, owner of the Ford Motor Company, founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1903, and four other car makers resolved to contest the patent infringement suit filed by Selden and EVC. The legal fight lasted 8 years generating a case record of 14,000 pages. The case was heavily publicized in the newspapers of the day and ended in a victory for Selden. Posting a bond of $350,000, Ford appealed and on January 10, 1911 won his case based on an argument that the engine used in automobiles was not based on George Brayton's engine, the Brayton engine which Selden had improved, but on the Otto engine. Time Magazine, January 14, 1935 Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and is credited with contributing to the creation of a middle class in American society. ... The Ford Motor Company (often referred to simply as Ford; sometimes nicknamed Fords or FoMoCo, (NYSE: F) is an automobile maker founded by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan, and incorporated on June 16, 1903. ... City motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) City nicknames: The Motor City and Motown Location in the state of Michigan Founded July 24, 1701 County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 370. ... In law, a patent infringement occurs when the subject-matter claimed in a patent has been utilized by someone other than the rightholder, without the owners approval or in disagreement with the terms of use given by the owner. ...

This stunning defeat, with only 1 year left to run on the patent, destroyed Selden's income stream. He focused production of his car company on trucks, renaming his company the Selden Truck Sales Corporation. It survived in that form until 1930 when it was purchased by the Bethlehem Truck Company. Selden suffered a stroke in 1921 and died at 78 on January 17, 1922. He was buried in Rochester. It is estimated he received several hundred thousand dollars in royalties, but, of course, missed out on a potential income of millions.

Based on pages 184-199 of The Mayflower Murderer & Other Forgotten Firsts in American History, Peter F. Stevens, William Morrow, hardcover, 272 pages, ISBN 0688118186. Published simultaneously on Wikinfo. Wikinfo, formerly known as Internet-Encyclopedia (renamed in January 2004), is a fork of Wikipedia initiated by Fred Bauder in July 2003. ...