Entrepreneur. He was an American businessman, who was one of the four original founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, a motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1903. The company survived the cheaper-made Model-T Ford of the 1920s, the Great Depression of the 1930s and over the years, several strong competitors, remaining since 1953 the only motorcycle manufacturer in the United States in the 21st century. He is credited with the slogan, "Take the Work out of Bicycling." Born in a rural settlement of Scottish immigrates, he was the youngest son of five children William C. Davidson, a carpenter for the Milwaukee Railroad, and Margaret McFarlane. His maternal grandmother was Ellen McLay McFarlane. With William "Bill" Harley, a schoolmate, fishing buddy and a co-worker at Barth Manufacturing Company, he made the prototype Harley-Davidson motorcycle about 1901. Their first bike lasted through three owners and 100,000 miles. With his two brothers, William and Walter, he built the first Harley-Davidson "factory" in a converted ten-by-fifteen-foot shed in the Davidsons' backyard. He was trained as a pattern maker at Barth's, under the guidance of Ole Evinrude, a Norwegian, who was skilled in making outboard motors for boats and sharing with Davidson his knowledge from European motor designers, including De Dion engine drawings from a former French employer. Learning how to build a miniature engine to fix the frame of a bike, Davidson is credited with designing the motor for Harley's bike. With the three brothers holding the majority of the shares, it can only be theorized why the company was named Harley-Davidson instead of Davidson-Harley. Seeking expansion of the factory, the Davidson brothers' bachelor great uncle, James McLay, an 80-year-old beekeeper, agreed to loan the company $170 to build the 2,380-square-foot shop. He and Walter signed the promissory note on July 6, 1904. With 18 employees, the company was incorporated in 1907. The company opened its first dealership in 1905. By 1909 the company was making 1,149 bikes, including 27 of their trademark V-Twin engine models with a top speed of 60 miles per hour. By 1920 the racing motorcycle was nicknamed "The Hog," and a proven champion of speed as well as the dangerous 3-day endurance races. The three Davidson brothers and Harley became the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, and each had their specialized role in the company's success. With his outgoing personality, he served as Secretary-General Sales Manager, and is credited with starting an extensive network of dealerships, which handled the company's products exclusively. He introduced foreign sales of the bike into 67 countries. His Harley-Davidson ads could be found in magazines as early as 1905. With his business skills, he served as the director of various companies including Koehring Company, the Kellogg Seed Company, and the Wisconsin Pharmaceutical Company. He served on the boards of the Boy's Club, YMCA, and the Boys Scouts, who honored him with the highest honor for distinguished service as he donated land for a camp with a trust fund. In the 21st century the Harley-Davidson Museum offers the opportunity for a scout to earn an Engineering Merit badge. He established a home for the blind. Meeting a customer's need, he established the Harley-Davidson Service School, which produced competent motorcycle mechanics. Establishing policies, he served as president of the American Motorcyclist Association from 1944 until his death. Harley-Davidson had supported this organization since 1930 and eventually supported a racial integrated organization after World War II. He was an American patriot, serving in both World War I and World War II, with Harley-Davidson supplying hundreds of motorcycles to American and British troops. In both wars, the company opened a Quartermasters School to train military mechanics. By the late 1940s and with an article in "Life" magazine, the Harley-Davidson motorcycle was receiving negative publicity as the bike was being used by leather-cladded outlaw motorcycle gangs, such as "Hells Angels." Within several years, the company's reputation rallied. On December 9, 1908, he married Clara Augusta Biesel, who was active in her husband's business, and the couple had a daughter and two sons. Their first-born son was named, Arthur Harley Davidson, in honor of his business partner William Harley. Their second son James was killed with his wife and four-year-old son in an auto accident in 1966. As the last of the remaining Davidson Brothers, he and his wife, along with another couple, were killed three miles from his prize-winning Guernsey cattle farm in a two-car auto accident. In 1998 the Davidson brothers and Bill Harley were inducted into the American Motorcycle Hall of Fame. For making a positive contribution to how Americans work and live, he and his brothers William and Walter, along with William Harley were posthumously inducted in the Labor Hall of Fame in 2004. The made-for-television mini-series "Harley and the Davidsons" aired on the Disney Channel in 2006. Several biographies of the founders of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle have been published. In the 21st century, the Harley-Davison motorcycle business is worth over six billion dollars.