Chuck Jordan (automobile designer)


Charles Morrell "Chuck" Jordan was an American automotive designer who was born in Whittier, California. He graduated with honors from Fullerton Union High School in 1945. He studied at MIT before joining General Motors in 1949. His son, Mark Jordan, is an automobile designer for GM and Mazda.
He died in December 2010 in Rancho Santa Fe, California of lymphoma.

Career

While a junior at MIT, he entered the first post war Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild competition, winning first prize and a $4000 scholarship. At the award ceremony, Harley Earl's assistant Howard O'Leary invited him to come to GM when he completed his studies. He accepted the invitation and started with GM in 1949.
One of his first projects was the Aerotrain, completed when he was 28 years old. He rose to director of design for Cadillac in 1957, being chief designer of the 1959 Cadillac, an epitome of fin design He also spent time with GM Europe as head of design for Opel.
He was vice president of design for General Motors from 1986 to 1992. Only six people, including Harley Earl and Ed Welburn, have held the position in GM's history.
Some of Jordan's work included the following cars: