Hall of Famer Ralph Teetor

Automotive Hall of Fame, that is. Several years ago, after visiting The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, my husband and I stopped by the Automotive Hall of Fame. Imagine my surprise when I rounded a corner and saw an entire display on Ralph Teetor. Wow, a display on a man from Hagerstown, Indiana. But, of course, it made sense. Teetor was a big deal in the automotive industry.

Teetor was born in Hagerstown, Indiana in 1890. By age 12, he had invented his own one-cylinder automobile. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After working during World War I on steam turbine rotors for torpedo boats, he joined a family-owned business called the Light Inspection Car Company. Later it was renamed the Perfect Circle Corporation. The company provided piston rings to all major automobile makers. He rose through the ranks eventually becoming president.

In 1945, Ralph Teetor received a patent on a means to control the speed of an automobile. Teetor came up with the idea while riding with his patent attorney, who liked to converse while driving. But he would gradually slow down while talking and then speed up again when he would realize how slow he was going. Ever known one of those drivers? It bothered Teetor so much he invented a device that would keep the car’s speed constant.

It took a while to catch on, but modern cruise control was first offered on the 1958 Chrysler Imperial, New Yorker and Windsor car models, and in 1960, on all Cadillacs. It has since become the industry standard.

Interestingly, it was against the law for Ralph Teetor to drive a vehicle with his patented cruise control on the public highways. Why? Because an accident at age five left Teetor completely blind.