Charles stewart mott biography sampler
Books
Book Synopsis
The name Charles Stewart Mott is today most widely recognizable when used in connection with the word Foundation. Established by the General Motors mogul in 1926, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has made grants in excess of $3 billion over the past nine decades, both in Mott’s adopted hometown of Flint, Michigan, and around the world. But philanthropy is only one reason the life of Mott—entrepreneur, industrialist, banker, mayor, and sometimes even cowboy—is worth knowing about today.
Mott was born ten years after the death of Abraham Lincoln and one year before the 1876 centennial of the founding of the United States. He not only lived through the most dramatic technological shift and period of economic growth that had yet been known, but he actively participated in and contributed to these events as a major innovator and leader at General Motors, as a public official, and as a philanthropist who in many ways reinvented the nonprofit model. Known widely as Mr. Flint, Mott was elected three times as the city’s mayor and played a central role in modernizing and expanding its infrastructure and institutions. In office, Mott helped transform Flint from a town capable of efficiently accommodating a population of roughly thirteen thousand in the first decade of the twentieth century to a modern metropolis capable of hosting an industrial middle class of more than one hundred thousand.
This vivid biography portrays a complex, brilliant, often contradictory, and ultimately fascinating man. His life—both as a record of himself and as a reflection of his times—makes for a good and important story that will be enjoyed by readers interested in Michigan history and politics, the automotive industry, and global philanthropy.
Radio Free Flint Podcast
CS Mott was giant in automotive history.
Mott was also founder of one of the world's largest charitable foundations.
Author Ed Renahan discusses the remarkable life of Charles Stewart Mott. "The Life of Charles Stewart Mott" is a fascinating and comprehensive look at the life of one of the world's most successful capitalists.
The podcast interview also covers Mr. Mott's career, family life, travels, hobbies, and devotion to the Flint community and philanthropy.
CS Mott is credited with founding the community school program concept. His foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, funded Community School research and provided operating funds for the programs across the United States and the world. Mott's work with community schools created a network between neighborhoods, parents, and the local schools.
CS Mott is a legendary figure in General Motors and automotive history. He merged his Mott Weston Axle Company with Buick in the early 1900s. He was instrumental in the rise and development of Buick and is a towering figure in the the automotive industry. Few people have impacted the General Motors history in the way CS Mott did with his focus on manufacturing processes and technology.
The Legacy of CS Mott: Rust Belt Revival
The automobile industry has significantly declined since the 1970s. As a result, blue-collar Flint, Michigan, suffered the effects of deindustrialization and disinvestment., The CS Mott Foundation plays a significant role in orchestrating the rust belt revival of Flint and other factory towns in Michigan. It is impossible to overstate the impact CS Mott and his Mott Foundation had on helping working-class Flint, Michigan, survive. It can also be said that the contributions of CS Mott to General Motors as an officer and investor helped General Motors thrive in automotive manufacturing.
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The book The Life of Charles Stewart Mott, published by University of Michigan Press, 2019, is available at loca By Susan J. Newhof May take several months to arrive, if available from publisher Charles Stewart Mott was one of the largest single holders of General Motors stock when he and his first wife, Ethel Culbert Harding Mott, purchased sixty-four acres at the edge of downtown Flint, Michigan, and built a stately gentleman’s farm. They called their spread Applewood, after an orchard on the north lawn, and laid the cornerstone in 1916. The Motts loved dogs, sports, card games, and their homegrown food. They hosted elegant dinner parties, fundraising events, business meetings, and gatherings of schoolkids. Six Mott children grew up at Applewood, alongside several children of employees who lived on the grounds. Early automotive giants visited frequently, as did entertainers, political figures, and the Motts’ large circle of family and friends. This book tells the stories of Applewood’s first one hundred years, from celebrations to tragedies. It profiles the four women who loved and married C. S. Mott and recalls the days when most of the family’s food came from animals and crops raised on the estate. It recalls talented cooks, nannies, and a genial Scottish gardener, and showcases treasured antiques and artwork that remain at Applewood, which is now a part of the Ruth Mott Foundation. Drawing from the Ruth Mott Foundation archives, author Susan J. Newhof weaves stories with passages from personal letters, interviews with family members and staff, and C. S. Mott’s detailed diary, which he dictated nearly every day for forty-one years. More than 250 photos dating from the late 1800s to today, including candid family snapshots, illustrate the stories and provide an intimate look at the private life of a very public family and the place they called home. Susan J. Newhof works as a writer and com .Applewood: The Charles Stewart Mott Estate: One Hundred Years of Stories, 1916–2016 (Hardcover)
$40.00