Harry_j._lawson

Harry John Lawson was a British engineer and motor industry pioneer. Lawson founded the Daimler Motor Company in Coventry in 1896.

In order to lobby Parliament for the elimination of the Red Flag Act, Lawson along with Frederick Simms founded the Motor Car Club of Britain.

Lawson and the Motor Car Club organised the first London to Brighton run, the "Emancipation Run", which was held on 14th November 1896 to celebrate the relaxation of the British laws known as the Red Flag Act, which eased the way for the start of the development of the British motor industry. Setright, L. J. K. (2004). Drive On!: A Social History of the Motor Car. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-698-7.  An American-built Duryea won the race.

Lawson attempted to monopolize the British automobile industry through the acquisition of foreign patents. He acquired exclusive British rights to manufacture the De Dion-Bouton and Bollée vehicles; bought the Humber Bicycle Company; and British patent rights for US bicycle designs. His British Motor Syndicate collapsed in 1897.Flink, p. 21.

Lawson\'s Daimler subsidiary was reorganized in 1904. The British Motor Syndicate was reorganized and renamed the British Motor Traction Company in 1901 led by Selwyn F. Edge. Lawson\'s patent rights were subsequently eroded through successful lawsuits by the Automobile Mutual Protective Association. Lawson was completely out of the automobile industry by 1908.Flink, p. 22.

See also

• Frederick Simms
• E. J. Pennington

References

• All time PR Greats: Harry J Lawson. Green.

James J. Flink. The Automobile Age. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1988.

S. B. Saul. "The Motor Industry in Britain to 1914." Business History 5 (December 1962), 22-38.

Notes

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