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Benjamin Holt
1849 - 1920

Considered a "shirtsleeve engineer", Benjamin Holt was the founder of the Holt Manufacturing Company, Caterpillar Inc.'s largest predecessor, laying the foundation for the development of modern-day construction machinery. He took the crawler technology available at the time, transformed it, and created a practical, commercially successful machine. He is remembered most for his worldwide application of the track-type tractor, a machine which he developed and successfully tested in 1904. Ben Holt also originated the trademark "Caterpillar" about this time.

During many of his years at the helm of Holt Manufacturing Company, Holt was completely absorbed in the mechanics and improvement of his products. His office was his experimental shop where he continually sought ways to improve his equipment and manufacturing techniques. Diffident and unassuming, he made a point of avoiding publicity of any kind, thus little is known about his personal life.

Though he did not live to see the merger of his business with C.L. Best Tractor Company, he did see his factories produce over 10,000 Holt crawlers used by the Allies in World War I and by thousands of construction sites around the world.

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