John Daniel Hertz

John Hertz, 1899

John Daniel Hertz (born April 10, 1879 in Ruttka ( Slovakia ), † October 8, 1961 in Chicago ( Illinois )) was an American businessman, owner of racehorses and philanthropist .

biography

John Hertz was born as Sandor Herz in the village of Ruttka ( Slovakia ), which at that time belonged to Austria-Hungary . He immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was 5 years old.

At a young age, Hertz was an amateur boxer and fought under the name "Dan Donnelly". He won amateur competitions for the Chicago Athletic Association , later fought under his real name, and became the manager of Benny Yanger .

Working life

Hertz's first job was selling newspapers; then he became a reporter for the Chicago Morning News . When the newspaper, which was then called the Chicago Record , merged with another newspaper, he lost his job. Although he did not have a driver's license, he found a job as a car salesman in 1904 on the recommendation of a friend. He had the idea of ​​founding a taxi company that would transport passengers for low fares so that the common man could also afford this service. In 1907 he already had a fleet of seven cars that he used as taxis .

In 1915 he founded the Yellow Cab Company in Chicago to provide low fare passenger transportation. In the early 20th century, chauffeur-driven services were only available to the wealthy section of society and Hertz thought there was great potential for someone to offer such services cheaper. His easily recognizable yellow cabs became popular and he soon found licensees across the United States. In 1924 he expanded his business to include car rental by buying Walter L. Jacobs' existing rental company and named this area "Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System". In 1926 he sold both businesses to GM and remained in that company as a director. Over the decades, the company developed into the world's largest rental car company, " The Hertz Corporation ".

John Hertz married Fannie Kesner from Chicago and had three children with her: Leona Jane, John Jr. and Helen . John Jr. became an advertising professional and was married to film star Myrna Loy from 1942 to 1944 .

In 1933 Robert Lehman Hertz sold a minority stake in the investment bank Lehman Brothers in New York City and Hertz remained a shareholder until his death. In 1938, Hertz wanted to buy Eastern Air Lines from GM, but the airline's executive director, Eddie V. Rickenbacker , raised the funds to buy the company itself before Hertz could do so.

Race horse breeding

In his early years in Chicago, Hertz owned a farm near Cary, Illinois . In the 1930s he bought a piece of land in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley , where he bred thoroughbred racing horses. He bought Stoner Creek Stud near Paris, Kentucky to breed and train two of his horses, Reigh Count and Count Fleet , with which he won the Kentucky Derby .

Foundation, endowment

During the Cold War , Hertz set up the Hertz Foundation to support military research. However, his friend Edward Teller persuaded him to let his foundation support teaching in applied research . The Hertz Foundation program is administered primarily by the scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who are involved in developing defense programs against nuclear weapons and surface-to-surface missiles . In 1958, Hertz received the highest civilian medal from the US Department of Defense for his considerable contribution to the security of the United States .

In 1924, Hertz donated US $ 34,000 to the City of Chicago to build the first traffic lights on Michigan Avenue.

Hertz died in 1961 and is buried with his wife in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.

Web links

• Hertz Foundation website
• coachbuilt.com: Yellow Cab, Part 1. (includes a biography of John D. Hertz) (accessed August 1, 2016)
• coachbuilt.com: Yellow Cab, Part 2. (accessed August 1, 2016)