# Percy Martin

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{{Short description|British engineer and automobile manufacturer}}
thumb|120px|Percy Martin 1911
'''Percy Martin''' (1871–1958) was an American-born British engineer and automobile manufacturer. Born in [Columbus, Ohio](/source/Columbus%2C_Ohio) 19 June 1871 he obtained a degree in mechanical engineering, specializing in electrical engineering, from [Ohio State University](/source/Ohio_State_University) in 1892.<ref name=DNB>Richard A. Storey, ‘Martin, Percy (1871–1958)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004</ref>

==General Electric==
He worked for [General Electric](/source/General_Electric) in [Milan](/source/Milan) and [Berlin](/source/Berlin) then in 1901 on holiday in England and through a chance meeting he was asked to take up the works manager's position at the [Daimler Company](/source/Daimler_Company) in [Coventry](/source/Coventry) which he did in October 1901.

The following July he married Alice Helen Heublein from [Hartford, Connecticut](/source/Hartford%2C_Connecticut), they had a son and a daughter.<ref name=DNB/>

==Daimler==
Soon rationalising Daimler's range of 10 different models he promptly designed then completed the entry into production of two new cars, [Daimler's 22 hp](/source/Daimler_Twenty-Two) and 12&nbsp;hp. He established improved incentive payments and improved the management of Daimler's design, operations and materials.<ref name=DNB/>

==Daimler and B.S.A.==
On the merging of the businesses of Daimler and arms and munitions manufacturer [Birmingham Small Arms Company](/source/Birmingham_Small_Arms_Company) in October 1910 Percy Martin took up the position of managing director of the combined enterprise.<ref>''Coventry Herald'' Friday 30 September 1910</ref> He was to serve more than twenty years in that post.<ref>''Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer'' Tuesday 10 April 1934</ref>
;World War I
In December 1916 he was appointed Controller of Internal Combustion Engines by the [Ministry of Munitions](/source/Ministry_of_Munitions) and to [The Air Board](/source/Air_Ministry) where he represented the Ministry of Munitions.<ref>The Birmingham Small Arms Company (Limited). ''The Times'' Saturday, Oct 13, 1917; pg. 11; Issue 41608</ref>
;Airco
In January 1920 B.S.A., on Martin's say so, bought from [George Holt Thomas](/source/George_Holt_Thomas) his aircraft business, [Airco](/source/Airco). In wartime Airco had been producing new aircraft at the rate of one every 45 minutes. The B.S.A. board made the purchase presuming Martin had carried out a due diligence investigation which he hadn't. The Airco companies were on the brink of financial collapse. Though they were closed immediately the losses were so grievous that B.S.A., one of the nation's major industrial combines, was obliged to miss paying a dividend for four years.<ref name=DDDH>Davenport-Hines, R. P. T. (2004). ''Dudley Docker: The Life and Times of a Trade Warrior''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-89400-X}}.</ref>
;Retirement
At the beginning of the 1930s there were boardroom disagreements, a new chairman and, only technically subject to his direction, new executives covering much of his area of responsibility.<ref name=DDDH/> Martin remained with B.S.A. and its subsidiary Daimler until his retirement from day-to-day responsibilities in April 1934 at a time when in spite of the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression) B.S.A. still directly employed more than 11,000 people.<ref>Birmingham Small Arms Company. ''The Times'', Friday, Nov 17, 1933; pg. 22; Issue 46604</ref> He was appointed chairman of Daimler.<ref>B.S.A. Appointments. ''The Times'', Tuesday, Jan 30, 1934; pg. 20; Issue 46665</ref> He gave up his seat on the B.S.A. board after one more year.<ref>Birmingham Small Arms Company. ''The Times'', Wednesday, Nov 13, 1935; pg. 19; Issue 47220</ref>

===Sleeve valves and Daimler's fluid flywheel===
Percy Martin was particularly involved in two successful technical developments, the development and introduction in 1908 of [sleeve valve](/source/sleeve_valve)s for Daimler's engines and, in 1930, their [fluid flywheel](/source/fluid_flywheel) fitted to all their vehicles in conjunction with [Wilson](/source/Walter_Gordon_Wilson)s [epicyclic gearboxes](/source/Walter_Gordon_Wilson) and a forerunner of automatic transmissions.<ref name=DNB/>

==Death==
After retirement Martin remained in England living at [Kenilworth](/source/Kenilworth) near Coventry where he died in November 1958 a few months after his wife.<ref name=DNB/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Percy}}
Category:1871 births
Category:1958 deaths
Category:Businesspeople from Columbus, Ohio
Category:American expatriates in the German Empire
Category:American emigrants to the United Kingdom

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Percy Martin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Martin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Martin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.