Joseph Jarret Cole was born in 1869 and lived until 1925. He was a man who had a passion for automobiles and for flying. He is credited with being the first Automobile Manufacturer to have one of his engines installed into an airplane and the first Auto Manufacturer to fly cross country.

In 1904, he purchased a carriage company and renamed it the Cole Carriage Company. By 1908, the company had entered into automobile production. The following year, they produced 176 vehicles. The year after, there were 1,860 units built. Their best year was 1917, when 4,193 examples were built. For most of the years, production hovered around 1,000 - 3,000 vehicles.

The Cole Series 30 was very successful in racing. Bill Endicott drove a car to an overall victory at the 24 Hour race at Brighton Beach, New York.

The company's operations were in Indianapolis, Indiana. Among their achievements, they provided the first automobile to a US president - President William Taft in 1910.

by Dan Vaughan