The Westcott Family
How are the Clarks related to this family you ask?
Richard Westcott-----Joanna Adams/Paine
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Daniel Westcott------Abigail Gaylord
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Ebenezer Westcott------- Barbara (Barbary) Forster
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Ebenezer Westcott-----Phebe Sheppard
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Sheppard Westcott-------Hannah Dare
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Henry Westcott-------Sarah Dyche
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John M. Westcott-----Caroline Mitchell
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Burton J. Westcott ------Orpha Merta Leffler
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Jeanne Elise Westcott ---- Richard Mast Rodgers
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Stuart Benson Clark, Jr.------- Patricia Rodgers
Richard Westcott (aka Westcot, Westcote, Westcoat, Wascotte, Wascoate, etc.) was a gentleman of Devonshire, England (he may have been from Truro, Cornwall) and descended from an ancient family that is said to be traced back to 1170.
According to "The Visitation of Cornwell" in 1620, Richard and a number of others were "stricken from the list and declared ignobilis". This was in the reign of James I, when every non-conformist was declared ignoble.
Richard came to America with his two brothers, Stukeley and William before 1636. Originally landing in Salem, Massachussetts, Richard removed to Wethersfield, Connecticut. His first wife, Mary must have died before he left England or soon after coming to America because he married a woman named Joanna (surname either Adams or Paine) of Connecticut. Together they had 4 children.
Daniel Westcott, second son of Richard and Joanna, settled in Stamford, Connecticut, was selectman of that town for five years, and represented it in the General Court at Hartford in 1691 and 1692. He served in King Philip's war, and was voted town lands in 1676 for his military services. He married in 1674, Abigail Gaylord and together they had at least three children. In 1696 he sold his land in Stamford and soon after removed to that part of Salem county, West Jersey, later laid out as Cumberland county, purchasing land on the south side of the Cohansey river. Here he died about June 1, 1703.
Franklin Lawrence Sheppard and Howard Reynolds Sheppard
John McMahon Westcott
(1834-1907)
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| John McMahon Westcott |
Manufacturer, Richmond, Ind., born near Liberty, Ind., in 1834, earned his first money by plowing corn for William L. John, at 25 cents per day. Educated at a country school and spending a part of each year in farm work, at the age of fifteen he secured a position with William F. Parshall at Lebanon, Ohio, as clerk in a dry goods store, at a salary of $60 for the first year. The pay grew better as he went on.
In 1855, after six years' experience, he engaged in the dry goods business at Liberty, Ind., on his own account, but the panic of 1857 forced him to assign in 1858. In Piqua, Ohio, he then kept books for four years at $1 per day. In 1863, he settled permanently in Richmond, was employed in the grain business for four years, and in 1867 once more ventured to operate on his own account, this time in grain, and became successful.
Jan. 1, 1873, he purchased a one-sixth interest in The Hoosier Drill Co., at Milton, Ind. From the time he took the financial management, the business grew rapidly. Gaining control in 1876 by buying for $80,750 the stock of Isaac Kinsey, president of the company, Mr. Westcott moved the works into Richmond in 1878, and has since enlarged them several times. The capital of the company is nominally $60,000, but the plant alone is probably worth $600,000. The implements made are grain drills, corn drills, broadcast sowing machines and hay rakes. B. J. Westcott, a son, is now secretary, and Omar Hollingsworth and James A. Carr, sons-in-law, are respectively treasurer and superintendent.
Mr. Westcott now owns a fine farm of 4,000 acres in the Solomon Valley, Kansas, bought about 1884, and raises wheat, corn, oats and rye, horses, cattle, hogs and sheep. His success is largely due to a rule, adopted early in life, to save 10 cents from every dollar earned. In his works, no men are employed who use intoxicants, and there has never been a strike in the factory.
Mr. Westcott has built a fine church in Richmond almost entirelyfrom his own funds, and every new enterprise for the welfare of the city is promoted by him. He is president of the Commercial club, which has built a fine hotel, covering one-fourth of a block.
America's Successful Men of Affairs: The United States at Large
Obituaries
JOHN WESTCOTT, BUSINESS MAN, DIES SUDDENLY
JOHN WESTCOTT, BUSINESS MAN, DIES SUDDENLY
Apparently on Road to Recovery After Long Illness When Stricken
Immensely Wealthy; Left Fortune Estimated at $2,000,000 in Various Kinds of Property
Union County Native Education Limited but Commercial Life of Vast Achievement
Though apparently on the way toward recovery after a serious illness of eight weeks, John M. Westcott, a pioneer business man and capitalist of Richmond, died suddenly Saturday night. The end came about 9:30 o'clock, while Mr. Westcott was seated in a chair, where he had been conversing with members of the family.
Mr. Westcott had been a sufferer from Brights' disease, and an affection of the lungs. Life had been sustained during several weeks of his illness by means of artificially administered oxygen. Mr. Westcott was 73 years of age. A wife, three sons and four daughters survive. The funeral will take place Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, from the house. Friends may call Monday evening from 7:30 to 9:30 o'clock. Burial will be private. Friends are requested to omit flowers.
John M. Westcott was born in Union county, near Liberty, in 1834. His parents were Henry and Sarah (Dyche) Westcott. Henry Westcott was of English descent and the mother of German extraction. John M. was one of four children, the other three being girls.
Mr. Westcott's early education was not extensive. He attended the public schools near the scene of his nativity. His youthful experiences were such as were common to the early settlers of the community. He did much toward the material improvement of the country.
Mr. Westcott's first business experience was as a dry goods clerk. Later he opened a grain and feed store and prospered. He came to Richmond in 1862 and continued in the feed and grain business until 1872, when he became a stockholder in the Hoosier Drill works, then located at Milton.He then devoted his entire attention to the construction of agricultural machinery and progressed to a point where he was justified in moving the institution to Richmond in 1878.
For a long time the Hoosier plant was the largest of its kind in America, and it was through it, principally, that Mr. Westcott acquired his stupendous wealth, which is estimated at close to $2,000,000. He retired from the manufacturing business about eight years ago.
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| The Hoosier Drill Company |
Upon leaving the Hoosier, Mr. Westcott, in partnership with his son-in-law, Omar Hollingsworth, organized the Union Loan & Trust Company, with offices in the Westcott hotel.
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| The Westcott Hotel |
Mr. Westcott was not identified in any way with the Hoosier after its amalgamation with the American Seeding Machine Company, the big trust, in which it is now one of the strongest factors, and which has extended the plant to a point where it will soon employ about 700 men, instead of 300 as heretofore.
In 1883, Mr. Westcott purchased forty feet of ground on the south side of Main street and personally supervised the erection of the Westcott block, for a long time the principal business block in the city. In 1892 the Commercial Club of Richmond projected the Westcott hotel, in which he acquired a controlling interest.This he held to the time of his death.
In addition to his many valuable local holdings, Mr. Westcott owned valuable real estate in Dickinson County, Kansas. He had 5,000 acres devoted to a fine stock farm. Much of the land was under cultivation and yielded immense returns. Until a few years ago he operated a fine bred horse and Shetland pony farm, near Centerville.
In 1855 Mr. Westcott was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Mitchell, a native of Wayne County, Indiana. They were the parents of seven children; Lucilla B., wife of J. A. Carr; Alice C., wife of Omar Hollingsworth; Jennie M. Wilke, Charles G., Burton J., Harry M. and Maude Evelyn DeWeese.
In 1880 Mr. Westcott purchased an entire block bounded by Main, South A., Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets, which has been laid out with walks and drives, and immediately improved the property. The second year he erected a large brick residence and since then, four others residences have been added. Until recently these houses were occupied by members of the family.
Six years ago, Mr. Westcott was united in marriage to Mrs. Grace Carter, of Indianapolis.
Socially Mr. Westcott was connected with the White Water lodge of No. 41, I. O. O. F. of Richmond. Since 1849 he had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
(Copied from the Evening Item, Monday, August 26, 1907).
Services Held at Home and Burial Was Private in Earlham Cemetery
The funeral of John M. Westcott was held yesterday afternoon from the home and was largely attended. The Rev. R. J. Wade, of the First M. E. church, and the Rev. C. E. Bacon, of Indianapolis, formerly of this city, officiated.
A large delegation of employees of the Hoosier Drill were present to pay a final tribute to the memory of their previous employer. The floral contributions were many and beautiful.
Burial was in Earlham cemetery and was strictly private, only the immediate relatives being present. The pall-bearers were all connected with the Hoosier Drill and were as follows: Henry Thompson and S. E. Sherer, traveling salesmen, Frank Leibhardt, John Deitz, Henry Mason; John Glenn, W. E. Russell and Edward Morgan, all employees of the factory.
(Copied from the Evening Item, Wednesday, August 28, 1907).
Anecdotes
The Westcott House - Family
John Westcott was born on a farm in Union County, Indiana, in 1834. An industrious youth, by age fifteen he was helping an old man buy grain and take it to the docks in Cincinnati forty miles away. Ever the hard worker, he bought into the small Hoosier Drill Company, which he owned in only five years and moved to Richmond. His factory, constructed by a Mr. Balling, a stonemason recently immigrated from Bavaria, was a three-story building of brick and stone that occupied two city blocks. Westcott, who had seven children, and sons-in-law Omar Hollingsworth, James Carr, and Fred A. Wilke, and son Burton controlled the company that employed four hundred men. Its seeders were sold worldwide. The Hoosier Drill Company became the American Seeding Machine Company, which evolved into the International Harvester Company.
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| The Westcott Mausoleum |
John Westcott also hired the stonemason to build a house in Centerville, Indiana, for another son Charles, who lived on a horse farm that sported its own track, and the senior Westcott's own home in an area of Richmond between Main and South A Streets, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets. The Westcotts lived at 1415 East Main Street. The house is now demolished. Other family members lived nearby on South Fourteenth and South Fifteenth Streets in the compound that came to be known as Westcott Place.
A prominent civic leader, as was his son Burton, John Westcott helped to organize the Union Loan and Trust Company and the Westcott Hotel in Richmond, which also boasted a Westcott Pharmacy. According to the (Richmond) Palladium-Item, John—wanting to celebrate the United States centennial—did so in unusual style by planting the cornfield adjacent to his house in trees that spelled out "Centennial, 1876."
John died in 1907 at the age of seventy-three, leaving an estate of approximately two million dollars. He is buried in the Westcott mausoleum in the Earlham Cemetery, Richmond, with his wife of fifty-two years, Caroline, sons Harry and Burton, and Burton's wife, Orpha.
Burton & Orpha Westcott
Burton J. Westcott
(1868-1926)
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| Burton John Westcott |
Burton J. Westcott was a significant automobile manufacturer before the car industry "went Detroit." His wife, Orpha, must have been equally forward-thinking, for it probably was she who encouraged the break with tradition by commissioning avant-garde architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design their house in Springfield, Ohio. The biographies of the Westcotts convey an entrepreneurial spirit recently revived in the top-to-bottom restoration of their impressive home. The Westcott House is now open to the public as a house museum.
Burton J. Westcott brought innovation to Springfield with the Westcott Motor Car Company in 1916. The company manufactured hand-assembled touring cars until it was sold to a syndicate in 1924. Few other automobiles rivaled the Westcott in durability and elegance.
Burton Westcott was one of Springfield's most prominent citizens. From 1916 to 1922 he served on the Springfield Town Council and in 1921 was elected its president, a position equivalent to mayor. He was also a director of the Lagonda National Bank and a member of the Springfield Country Club. A staunch Republican, he had admirers from both political parties—partly because he helped to curb corruption in the city's administrative affairs.
Born in Richmond, Indiana, Westcott was the son of John W. Westcott, founder and president of the Hoosier Drill Company, a noted manufacturer of farm implements and the Westcott Carriage Company. Burton took an interest in both businesses. Educated at DePauw and Swarthmore, he became treasurer of the Hoosier Drill Company, which in 1903 merged with several other firms to create the American Seeding Machine Company. Its executive offices were located in Springfield. Burton Westcott served as its treasurer for the next twenty-one years.
After the sudden death of Westcott's wife, his own health declined. He died at his Springfield home January 10, 1926.
Obituary
Born in Richmond, Indiana, Westcott was the son of John W. Westcott, founder and president of the Hoosier Drill Company, a noted manufacturer of farm implements and the Westcott Carriage Company. Burton took an interest inboth businesses.
Educated at DePauw and Swarthmore, he became treasurer of the Hoosier Drill Company, which in 1903 merged with several other firms to create the American Seeding Machine Company. Its executive offices were located in Springfield. Burton Westcott served as its treasurer for thenext twenty-one years.
After the sudden death of Westcott's wife, his own health declined. He died at his Springfield home January 10, 1926.
Obituary
B.J. WESTCOTT DIES AFTER LONG ILLNESS
End Comes at Residence in East High Street
Former Manufacturer in Poor Health for About One Year
Ex-Mayor Came to City From Indiana
Service as Executive Brought Progressive Financial Policy
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| Burton John Westcott |
Burton J. Westcott, 57, former manufacturer, ex-mayor and a member of the first city commission in Springfield, died at 1:40 pm Sunday at his home, 1340 E. High Street following an illness of several months. His condition became serious during the last few weeks, and his death was not unexpected. Mr. Westcott’s sister, Mrs. Alice Hollingsworth of Richmond, Ind., was at the bedside when death occurred.
Mr. Westcott’s health failed nearly a year ago, his condition became serious several months ago, when he went to a sanitarium. Recently he returned to his home, where he remained under the care of physicians. He had been an important factor in the civic life of Springfield for the last quarter century, coming here from Richmond, Ind., where he was formerly a manufacturer.
He came to Springfield in March, 1903, from Richmond, where his family had for years been in the manufacturing business, conducting the old Westcott Carriage Works, later The Westcott Motor Car Company., and being interested in the Hoosier Drill Co., manufacturers of farming implements. The Hoosier Drill Co. was absorbed by The American Seeding Machine Co. in Springfield in 1903, and Mr. Westcott moved to Springfield as one of the incorporators and treasurer of the corporation. He continued as treasurer of The American Seeding Machine Co., until July 1924, when he retired to concentrate his attention on the Westcott Motor Car Co. He later resigned as a director of The American Seeding Machine Co. He moved The Westcott Motor Car Co. from Richmond to Springfield in 1916, occupying the old P.P. Mast factory at Warder and Spring Streets. The Westcott Motor Car Co. was sold some time ago to a local syndicate.
Mr. Westcott displayed a keen interest in civic affairs, and in 1914 was elected a member of the original city commission of Springfield, and was re-elected in 1918 for a second term, after which he retired to private life. He was elected mayor by his colleagues on the city commission in January, 1920, to succeed the late C.F. McGilvray, who resigned as mayor in November, 1919.
Probably one of the things for which Mr. Westcott is best remembered was his inauguration of the policy of issuing short term bonds by the city, which was later taken up by the state and incorporated in the Griswold Act, making it mandatory that bonds not be issued for a term longer than the life of an improvement. Mr. Westcott made an exhaustive study of the city’s finances, and inaugurated the policy of issuing bonds for a period of not to exceed 10 years, to be paid off in equal installments each year. Prior to that time, the city had issued bonds for periods extending up to 50 and 60 years, in some cases paying more than the principal in interest. His foresight in inaugurating this policy is credited with enabling Springfield to escape in large measure the fate of many other Ohio cities a few years ago, which were unable to find money for necessary operating expenses when the legislature cut tax levies for operating expenses.
He was also a director of the Lagonda National Bank, and for years served as a director of the Social Service Bureau.
When he came to Springfield he built a home at 1340 E. High Street, where he lived until the time of his death. His wife, Orpha Leffler Westcott, whom he married in Richmond, died in 1923. He is survived by a son, John M. Westcott, and a daughter, Mrs. Richard M. Rodgers of Springfield.
Orpha M. Leffler Westcott
(1877-1923)
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| Orpha Merta Leffler Westcott |
Orpha Westcott was one of Springfield's most prominent and unusually progressive women. She joined her husband in a host of community activities, and she took an active role in the affairs of the community that was her home for the rest of her life.
She was a member of the Springfield Country Club andCovenant Presbyterian Church.She was said to be an independent and innovative woman, interested in the modern, the beautiful, and the unusual.
Orpha Westcott instigated the commission of the Chicago architect Frank Lloyd Wright, then little known but considered highly controversial, to design the family residence on East High Street. After the completion of this important structure, in 1911 she took the Westcotts' children to Europe, where she continued to pursue a variety of interests that reflected her creative and independent spirit.
Her son, John, attended the first Montessori School in Italy, receiving his instruction personally from Maria Montessori. A few years later, she helped him with the pursuit of another modern innovation: short-wave radio. Ironically and fortunately, the family was to return from Europe on the maiden voyage of the White Star liner Titanic, but when a member of its party fell ill, the family decided to return at a later date, by another boat.
On April 12, 1923, following what should have been a routine sinus operation, Orpha Westcott died suddenly in Philadelphia. The tragedy stunned both her family and her friends. Funeral services were held for her in the living room of her beautiful home on East High Street. A few years later Mr. Westcott's services were held there also.
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| The Westcott House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright |
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| The Westcott House today |
The Westcott Motor Company
Ironically, the manufacturer's dislike of automobiles sent the internationally recognized Westcott car packing off to Springfield, Ohio, early in 1915. Production here began the following year and continued into spring 1925.
John Westcott, together with his sons Burton and Harry, originated the Westcott Carriage Company in Richmond, Indiana, in 1896. It was reorganized there as the Westcott Motor Car Company in 1909. Nonetheless, father John disliked motorcars because of their competition with carriages. So Burton, who had moved to Springfield in 1903 as treasurer of the American Seeding Machine Company, subsequently brought his father's car company to Springfield. Burton seems to have inherited his father's sense of hard work and fair play.
According to the February 21, 1915, Springfield Daily News column, "Automobile News," "The first of the much-talked-of 1915 Westcott cars arrived in Springfield Thursday, when C. S. Burke, local distributor, drove a four-cylinder, five-passenger touring car over from Richmond, Indiana. The new model is finished in Westcott green with divided front seats and one-man top. The company also offers maroon and natural wood finish wheels as an optional finish."
The C. S. Burke Motor Company, established in 1915 at 17 South Center Street, soon moved to more permanent headquarters at 134 Washington Place. Subsequent area distributors of the Westcott automobiles were J. L. Hess and A. L. Lewis in 1919 and W. L. Hinchman in 1923. Among the distinctive features of the early car were a newly designed cam shaft, an automatic spark advance, non-skid rear tires, a solid walnut instrument board, Westcott-designed disappearing auxiliary seats, a rear gas tank, and high-quality improved leather, reported the Springfield Daily News February 7, 1915. A four-cylinder touring car or roadster cost $1,185 and a six-cylinder $1,585.
When the Westcott automobile arrived in Springfield, it had already established its reputation for high quality and for fulfilling the promise of its slogan as "The Car with a Longer Life." The first model may have been a two-seater now in the Wayne County Historical Museum, Richmond. The earliest vehicles, described by the company as high-wheeled, buggy-type cars with 1-3/4-inch solid rubber carriage tires, could reach a top speed of approximately 35 miles per hour. These cars needed the ability to climb, for they were tested on Beller and Backmeyer hills between Richmond and Liberty, Indiana. The driver typically wore gauntlet gloves, goggles, and a linen duster. The first Westcott test in Springfield occurred in August 1916.
In bringing the company to Springfield, Burton wanted to follow in this tradition of excellence. His twin goals were to produce a car of high quality and to take good care of his employees. In fact, so many workers moved from Richmond to Springfield that the area on North Limestone Street where they lived became known as "Richmond Row."
The history of the car in both Richmond and Springfield is, of course, full of lore. For example, the story is told of three Westcotts entered in the Gluden Endurance Race in 1910. Clifford Bevington, a head test driver for the company, motoring from Cincinnati to Dallas, was in second place when he missed a bridge in Dallas and landed in the water.
The Westcott in the First Indy 500
Another tale features Harry Knight, twenty-two, of Indianapolis, who drove a Westcott in the first Indy 500 in 1911. He was in third place after 196 laps when the mechanic of the car in front of him was thrown from the car. Swerving to miss him, Knight landed against the repair pit. Three wheels of his car were broken, and both he and his mechanic were injured.
Harry Knight "The Hero of the Speedway"
A key figure in the most spectacular accident of the first
Indianapolis 500, Harry Knight was also hailed as something of a hero. After Joe Jaggersberger’s Case broke a
steering knuckle his riding mechanic, Charles Anderson tumbled out onto the
brick-paved Indianapolis Motor Speedway home stretch. In front a stunned sold-out grandstand crowd,
Knight violently swerved his Westcott #9 racer to avoid hitting the stricken
Anderson. He succeeded in that effort,
but found himself spinning out of control into the Apperson of Herb Lytle in
the pits. This accident was blamed for
much of the scoring errors that plagued the race as inexperienced judges and scorers
allowed themselves to be distracted like the typical freeway rubbernecker at
the scene of an accident.
A fleet of Westcott cars raced against nature when it took donated food and clothing to flood victims in the Dayton area at the time of the disastrous 1913 flood.
The Westcott car received kudos. A headline in the Springfield Daily News July 4, 1915, read "Westcott Car Wins Victory." The story goes on to report that "Chas. Balough, formerly chief engineer and factory manager of the Kelly Motor Truck Co., placed his stamp of approval upon the mechanical construction and body refinement of the Westcott motor car by the purchase of a four cylinder five passenger model from the C. S. Burke Motor Co., yesterday afternoon. This sale is especially gratifying to Mr. Burke, from the fact that Mr. Balough is classed by Motor World, as one of the four leading authorities of the country in motor construction. Mr. Balough will accompany Mr. Burke to the Westcott factory in Richmond, Ind., Tuesday and drive the new Westcott home."
Known for luxurious appointments, Westcotts were driven by dignitaries including an Ecuadorian minister. By 1920 dealers as far away as Cleveland, St. Louis, Dayton, Hartford, and California and Australia stocked Westcotts. One even appeared in Havana, Cuba. As the market for open cars faded, the Westcott Motor Car Company responded with a new model, The Closure, that featured sliding glass windows. It sold for $1,795 in 1923.
So entrepreneurial was the Westcott Company that as early as 1912 it cooperated with the Richmond Item in a contest to give away a touring car valued at $2,000. Winner was Miss Alice Vogelsang, who crashed into a tree the first time she drove the auto without an experienced chauffeur, breaking a wheel. By 1919 the company also advertised in national publications such as The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's and featured its own publication, The Hub Cap, in the 1920s. Company advertising went from emphasizing the Westcott's "longer life" to its ease and genuine comfort.
The future of the company seemed bright when it scheduled sixteen hundred cars to be built between July 1916 and July 1917 and another two thousand between July 1917 and January 1918. These figures showed significant increases over earlier schedules. Soon the Springfield factory at Spring and Warder Streets was improved, a new building for storage was constructed, and a separate firm was organized to provide service to the cars. Orders increased so that a newspaper column of January 30, 1921, reported that the Westcott Company could return to full production after a winter decline in business. Even as the Westcott Company was thriving, so was the auto industry itself. The Springfield Auto Trades Association sponsored popular annual shows at Memorial Hall with as many as thirty different makes displayed for six days.
Headlines in the local newspaper touted the success of the Westcott Company. The February 22, 1920, issue proclaimed, "Curtain Will Raise Tuesday On Big Affair: Memorial Hall To Be Resplendent—No Expense Spared in Decorations—Dealers To Exhibit 27 Makes of Cars While Accessory Men Will Have Numerous Booths." Another headline read, "1920 To Be Biggest Year In History Of Westcott Motors," while a third signaled, "This City Is Enthusiastic Motor Center: Automobile Ceases To Be Pleasure Car Only—Conveniences Provided In Machines By Manufacturers Make Long Trips Easier—Numerous Springfield Women Drive Own Cars" (Springfield Sunday News). A March 28 article the same year, headed "Westcott Plant Efficiency Increased By Daily Conferences of Departmental Heads," praised the management style that called for morning meetings to discuss matters such as schedules in an atmosphere that allows "open criticism without the men directly affected feeling personally offended." This system forecast today's "quality circles" or the modern trend to "total quality management."
However, the company's good fortune would not last. The last known advertising for new cars sold at the factory—those already completed as well as those in the process of being built—appeared April 5, 1925. A local newspaper article the same day reported that the Westcott Motor Car Company had been sold the previous afternoon to J. B. Cartmell, Arthur Hill, and George Cugley for $81,000. Burton Westcott, reputedly the first man in Ohio to take out a one million-dollar insurance policy, had borrowed against it—ultimately to little or no avail. He died a broken man in 1926.
More on the Westcott Car
The Westcott was an automobile produced in Richmond, Indiana and Springfield, Ohio in the United States between 1909 and 1925. The car company was named for its founder, Burton J. Westcott.
The Westcott was advertised as "The Car with the Longer Life". The Westcott was powered by a Continental Engine, and rode at least two wheelbases, 125 in (3,175 mm) and 118 in (2,997 mm). In 1923, the company released a model named The Closure, which was a touring car with hard panels that could be removed from the sides of the car during the summer months. According to the company, the average lifespan of a Westcott car was 10 years, which was three and a half years higher than the national average.
Production stopped in 1925 due to the company being unable to pay debts of $825,000 owed to suppliers of parts used in the cars.
Burton Westcott is also known as a client of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed a Prairie School style house for the Westcott Family in Springfield, Ohio in 1904. Restoration of the Westcott House began in 2004.
