John Tjaarda Papers

John Tjaarda, design engineer who influenced the automobile industry with his advanced, styling and engineering, was born 4 February 1897 in Arnheim, The Netherlands. After graduation from the Alexander Klemins School of Aeronautics in London, he joined the Royal Dutch Air Force.

In 1923 Tjaarda emigrated to the United States, obtained employment as a design assistant with Locke & Co. of Rochester, N.Y., an automobile manufacturer of bodies for Stutz, Pierce Arrow and Packard. During ...

The collection contains legal correspondence, patent correspondence, general correspondence, newspaper/periodical articles, photographs, and a sketchbook. The majority of the correspondence concerns Tjaarda's legal battles with Briggs Manufacturing Company and Chrysler Corporation.