| John Hertz Sr. is notable. Join: Notables Project Discuss: notables |
John Hertz came with his parents and siblings from Sklabina, Hungary, to America in 1882 on the ship SS Herman. They settled in Chicago, Illinois.
He first worked for a newspaper selling papers and then as a reporter in Chicago. He began selling automobiles in 1904.
When used cars came into the lot, he developed the idea of a cab company with inexpensive cars for everyday people. His taxicabs had lower rates than standard cabs.
In 1907 he had a fleet of seven cars. By 1915 he had formed the Yellow Cab Company in Chicago.
The company became very popular and was franchised across the United States. In 1924 he took over a car rental company and named it Hertz Drive-UR-Self Corp.
John became a self-made millionaire by age 30. Both his businesses were purchased later by General Motors and John became a member of the board of directors of GM.
In 1953, John purchased the rental car company back from General Motors and ran it himself, naming it Hertz-Rent-a-Car.
In California and Kentucky, he raised thoroughbred race horses.
He established the Hertz Foundation to fund education for the sciences.
John died in Oct. 8, 1961, in Los Angeles, California.[1]
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
John is 25 degrees from Isaac Asimov, 25 degrees from David Attenborough, 26 degrees from Bill Bryson, 19 degrees from Richard Dawkins, 34 degrees from Bengt Feldreich, 40 degrees from Ruth Gates, 27 degrees from Stephen Hawking, 34 degrees from Julius Miller, 24 degrees from Bill Nye, 26 degrees from Magnus Pyke, 30 degrees from Carl Sagan and 24 degrees from David Randall on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
H > Hertz > John Daniel Hertz Sr.
Categories: Notables | United States of America, Notables | Business Leaders | Philanthropists | Automotive History