Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

46 | JULY 30 • 2020 

Call Me A Cab …
I 

recently wrote about an early 
Jewish automobile leader that 
you may not have known, F. 
L. Klingensmith, first president 
and founder of the Gray Motor 
Corporation. I also mentioned Max 
Grabowski, creator 
of what is now GMC 
Trucks, and Meyer 
Prentis, longtime 
treasurer of General 
Motors. In response 
we received a letter 
from David Flaisher, 
who mentioned 
another Jewish auto 
pioneer: Morris Markin. 
Flaisher is spot-on. While Markin 
is not as famous as Henry Ford or 
Walter Chrysler, he did make his mark on the 
early automobile industry. He founded and ran 
the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company. 
Based in Kalamazoo, Checker was the premier 
maker of taxi cabs in America for 60 years.
The Checker company should not be confused 
with “Checker,
” the cab company still operating 
in Detroit today. More on that later …
Like many early automakers, the Checker Cab 
Manufacturing Co. was derived from a combi-
nation of manufacturing enterprises. One of was 
Markin’
s own Markin Auto Body Corporation 
in Joliet, Illinois, which made bodies for vehi-
cles produced by the Commonwealth Motor 
Company. 
Markin, however, had a better idea. He would 
concentrate on making one product — taxi cabs. 
Markin took over the Commonwealth Motor 
Co. in 1922 and renamed it as the Checker Cab 
Manufacturing Co. He moved the company to 
Kalamazoo a year later. By 1925, it was produc-
ing 1,000 Checker taxis a year. 
Checkers, known for their roominess and 
durability, were the taxi cabs of choice for 
decades in New York City, Chicago and many 
other American cities. The last Checker rolled off 
the assembly line in 1982. The big two-ton taxis 
could not compete with more modern, cheaper 
and more fuel-efficient competitors.
I searched for “Checker Cab” in the William 

Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit 
History. This resulted in 640 hits in the Archive, 
but only an obituary for Markin in the July 10, 
1970, issue of JN that cites the Checker Cab 
Manufacturing Co. Almost all of the entries 
were ads for “Checker,
” the Detroit cab com-
pany established in 1921.

Although the Archive only yields a bit 
of information, it appears that the Checker 
cab company may have been another early 
Jewish-owned automotive enterprise. 
A story about Edward Fleischman in 
the Feb. 2, 1964, issue of the JN cites him as a 
founder of Checker cabs. More research is need-
ed on this topic.
Two other Checker-related articles were inter-
esting. An article on actor David Gorenstein, in 
the Sept. 1, 1989, issue of the JN pictured him 
sitting on the hood of his favorite car, a Checker. 
In a March 3, 1995, JN article, local Detroit artist 
Morris Rosin is also cited as a proud Checker 
owner.
I wish to thank Mr. Flaisher for his letter. It 
was the catalyst for another Michigan Jewish his-
tory adventure in the William Davidson Digital 
Archive. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation 
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

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