Hometown Hero, Clessie Cummins
Columbus, Indiana, is home to many big names, but one name has defined the entrepreneurial spirit of the community: Cummins.
Clessie Lyle Cummins’ story starts in rural Indiana where he built his first steam engine at 11 years old. A few years later, he left the family farm, after only completing eighth grade, to begin his career as a mechanic.
Cummins first met banker William G. Irwin in 1910. He chauffeured the Irwin family around Columbus and Indiana. In 1911, Cummins was asked to join a pit crew. With Cummins’ help, Ray Harroun’s car and team won the first ever Indianapolis 500. Cummins continued to tinker and learn everything he could about engines. He gained a reputation for being an enthusiastic and persuasive business man.
Cummins patented 30 products and processes throughout his career, including fuel injection systems and the first compression release engine brake. Many of his patents were used throughout the 20th century.
Irwin’s great-nephew, J. Irwin Miller, helped the Cummins Engine Company rapidly grow in the decades that followed. Cummins Engine Company supplied Allied forces with the diesel power they needed in World War II. Cummins, Inc. became a world-wide leader in engine manufacturing and is still based in Columbus, Indiana, today.
Cummins’ grit, ingenuity and vision are still around Columbus. He believed that through “elbow grease, a keen mind, and rural pragmatism” the world can be changed.
Clessie Cummins: Hoosier Inventor aired on WTIU. For a closer look at his hardships, achievements and legacy, follow link for details.
Learn more about Clessie Cummins.
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