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Leland was the son of Leander Leland and Zilpha Tifft. He married Ellen Rhoda Hull (April 24, 1846 – January 15, 1914), the daughter of Elias Hull. They had three children: Martha Gertrude (1868–1912), Wilfred Chester (November 7, 1869 – 1958), and Miriam Edith (1872–1894).
As the United States prepared to enter World War I, Henry Leland wanted his Cadillac Motor Car Company to build Liberty V-12 aircraft engines for the military. But Billy Durant, head of corporate parent General Motors and a dedicated pacifist, refused Leland's request.
Feb 22, 2009 · The Cadillac board assigned Wilfred Leland to negotiate with Durant. Wilfred proved to be a canny and tenacious negotiator, rejecting any deal that involved a transfer of stock in lieu of cash. When Durant offered him a kickback to lower the selling price, Wilfred flatly refused.
The two are pictured here in a Lincoln office with founder Henry Leland and his son Wilfred. Behind them, decorations pay homage to Henry Leland's inspiration and the company's namesake: Abraham Lincoln. Under new ownership, Lincoln became one of America's top-selling luxury brands.
Henry Leland grew up in Vermont and learned the importance of precision manufacturing in New England's state-of-the-art factories. He relocated to Detroit and produced Oldsmobile engines and gears before founding Cadillac Motor Car Company in 1902.
Last January the grandson, Wilfred Chester Leland Jr., walked uninvited into an “old times party” at the Ford Laboratory in Dearborn and slapped into the lean hands of Henry Ford a long-delayed...
Sep 14, 2008 · Henry Martyn Leland was the father of the mass-produced luxury car in the United States. And his son, Wilfred, might well be called the luxury car's favorite uncle.
