William A. Schaum started out producing an odd
two-cylinder high-wheeler named the Seven Little
Buffaloes in 1908 which, in a complicated sequence
of events, led to the formation of Checker Motors
Corporation in 1922. Just how complicated you
ask, well in September 1911 the Deschaum-Hornell
Co. became the Suburban Motor Car Corp, then
in 1912 a Mr. Palmer became involved with the
corporation, the company then becoming the Palmer
Motor Car Co. Not having a good dealer network,
Palmer went into partnership with Partin cars,
from which the Partin-Palmer Manufacturing Co.
was formed.
Two years later it became the Commonwealth
Motor Co. and moved to Joliet, Illinois, when
the first links with Checker were formed – the
year was 1919. Shortly after their move the American
taxicab industry entered a boom time, and Checker
Taxi of Chicago quickly acquired the smaller
players in the greater Chicago area. Needing
stronger more durable cabs, Checker approached
the Commonwealth Motor Co. in 1920, awarding
them a contract to assemble taxicabs using bodies
supplied by another Joliet based company, Markin
Auto Body Corp. Markin was to merge with the
faltering Commonwea1th Motor Co. at the end of
1921, and by May of 1922 the Checker Cab Manufacturing
Co. was born.
Originally manufacturing 3 cabs
a day, by 1924 they had lifted production to
over 4,000 units. Many trials and tribulations
were to follow in the following decades, but
it was in 1960 that Checker manufactured two
private passenger car models, the Superba and
Superba Special. These morphed into the vehicle
the company is best known for today, the Marathon.
Lagging sales and tougher government regulation
forced Checker to cease production in 1979, but
such was the strength of their vehicles that
they would remain a part of the American automotive
landscape for decades to come.
Also see: Checker Auto Ads
