Vincent Bendix (1881-1945) invented the starter drive first used in automobiles in 1914. He earned the name "The King of Stop and Go" as the result of his work on the starter drive and the four-wheel braking system. He was a leader in the aviation industry, and his innovations and business savvy helped to create a multi-faceted manufacturing company.

Vincent Bendix was born August 12, 1881, in Moline, Illinois. His father, Jann, a Swedish Methodist Episcopal minister, changed the family name from Bengtson to Bendix when he moved with his wife, Alma Danielson, to the United States from Amaland, Sweden. Soon after Bendix's birth, the family moved to Chicago, which had such a thriving Swedish population that it was dubbed the "Swedish capital." Even as a child, Bendix was interested in engineering and invented a chainless bicycle when he was just 13 years old.

At the age of 16, Bendix moved to New...