Today in 1871, Robert Samuel McLaughlin was born. This Canadian started working at his dad’s coach-building firm in 1887 – McLaughlin Carriage Works. Within a few years, he learnt how to pair horse-drawn carriages to internal combustion engines, and sourced a few gasoline units from Buick. By 1907, his McLaughlin-Buick Model F automobiles were being produced under the McLaughlin Motor Car Company.
After merging the company with Chevrolet Motors of Canada and renaming it General Motors of Canada, Robert McLaughlin became a director of the said company and remained on the board of General Motors until the early 60s.
