Much like that ever-faithful, fellow-employee who consistently shows up to work alongside folks to help them get the job done, mail-order parts warehouse mogul, JC Whitney has spent decades helping auto enthusiasts complete and upgrade their cars, trucks, jeeps, and motorcycles. And, more often than not, just like that fellow employee, their presence isn’t completely recognized – until they’re gone.
Before a time when every car nut’s “reading room” had at least one copy of the JC Whitney catalog, the company’s founder, a Lithuanian immigrant named Israel Warshawsky, began his career as a scrap dealer. Opening in 1915 just as the American automobile industry was taking root, Israel began his business in the South Side of Chicago and called it Warshawsky & Company, selling parts to Model T owners to keep their cars running. Throughout World War One and the Great Depression, Warshawsky & Company grew and Israel began buying out some of the failed automotive manufacturers, which added to their growing parts inventory… read more >
