ABSTRACT
William C.Durant was by all accounts a charming individual and an exceptional fundraiser. Walter Chrysler characterized Billy Durant most succinctly: ‘I cannot hope to find words to express the charm of the man. He has the most winning personality of anyone I’ve ever known. He could coax a bird right down out of a tree’ (Chrysler 1937:143). Having made a fortune in Flint, Michigan, as the nation’s largest wagon maker, Durant was largely responsible for the creation of General Motors in 1908.
