Organized a company to produce Rambler bicycles and motorcycles in 1879

Designed and manufactured the Rambler automobile in 1902

Founded a company that became part of American Motors Corporation, which retained the Rambler name

Thomas Jeffery brought the name “Rambler” to fame…twice. Bicycles were all the rage in the 1890s, and Jeffery’s Rambler was among the most popular. But Jeffery was not thinking about bicycles on Thanksgiving day, 1895, as he excitedly watched auto manufacturer Frank Duryea win the Chicago Times-Herald automobile race. Jeffery decided it was time to become a manufacturer of automobiles. He sold his bicycle business and used the proceeds to establish a company that produced1,500 Rambler autos in 1902. The company had switched from the name “Rambler” to “Jeffery” by the time it was purchased by Nash in 1916. Nash brought back the Rambler nameplate on a product line that eventually was integrated into American Motors Corporation, which retained the Rambler name into the 1970s.