Allison Gas Turbine: Early History

In 1840, James M and Julia Allison left England and immigrated to Greene County, Indiana, where James became proprietor of several riverboats.

The family later moved to Michigan, where James established a grocery store. James’s son Noah, worked for his father for several years.

Noah also founded a credit company, a publishing house, and an international discount coupon company. Upon Noah’s untimely death, his wife Myra became the proprietor of the business and their three sons were made directors.

James Ashbury Allison was the second son born to Noah and Myra Allison.

Carl Fisher was James Allison’s closest fried and had a bicycle shop, which he promptly parlayed into an automobile dealership in 1904.

Percy Avery, a man familiar with Fisher’s enthusiasm for new business, approached Fisher that same year with an idea of developing for compressing an storing acetylene in a small steel cylinder for power newer light.

On September 6, 1904, partners Carl, Fisher, James Allison and Percy Avery formed the Concentrated Acetylene Company to assemble and fill acetylene cylinders the used to power automobile headlights. Official recorded six days later as having $10,000 of capital stock.

When Avery, the inventor of the system, withdrew from the company in 1906, Fisher and Allison changed the name to Prest-O-Lite Company.

Prest-O-Lite was sold by Allison and Fisher to Union Carbide in 1917. In the sale the partners received one share of Union Carbide stock for two shares of Prest-O-Lite stock.

In 1915, James founded Indianapolis Speedway Team Company, operated by Allison and Fisher. Setting up shop in downtown Indianapolis and later near the speedway, they began redesigning and rebuilding domestic and foreign cars and entering them in the races.

During the war Allison led his shop developed production models of superchargers, trucks, whippet tanks and high speed tractors.

Following the World War I, the military had also turned to Allison for special engineering jobs. One important job was the development of high speed gearing for aircraft.
Allison Gas Turbine: Early History