Clarence Spicer

Clarence Winfred Spicer was an American automotive engineer and inventor, best known for the first practical design and use of the universal joint in automotive applications. Born in 1875 in Edelstein, Illinois, he grew up helping to maintain the equipment at his family's creamery. In 1899 he enrolled in mechanical and electrical engineering courses at Cornell University, where a class assignment to design a motor car led him to develop a universal joint suited to automobiles. He received a patent for it on May 19, 1903, left Cornell before finishing, and began manufacturing the joint in 1904 through an arrangement with the Potter Printing Press Company. He incorporated the Spicer Universal Joint Manufacturing Company in 1905, later renamed Spicer Manufacturing Company, which is now Dana Incorporated. He served on the Alfred University board of trustees, was an officer of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and is a member of the Automotive Hall of Fame. He died in 1939.