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Birth:          21 Oct 1927 Whittier, Los Angeles Co., Cal.
Death:          9 Dec 2010 Rancho Santa Fe, Cal.
Cause of Death: lymphoma

Notes
!PUBL
1981 book (see for details)
Cal Birth Idx on ancestry.com
1930 in Rowland, Los Angeles Co., Cal. age 2y 6m
1940 in El Monte, Los Angeles Co., Cal.
known as chuck, designer with General Motors
VP in charge of Design Staff, retired in 1992
from http://archive.cardesignnews.com/news/2003/030617eod-jordan/
75 years of General Motors Design: Chuck Jordan - The Continental
June 17, 2003 - This year’s Eyes on Design Automotive Design Exhibit will present 75 
years of GM Design at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan on 
June 22. The event will open with a brunch presentation by Wayne Cherry, GMs fifth 
head of design. Car Design News expects that the name of the sixth may be 
announced during the presentations, and in this series of articles we are celebrating 
the five men who have carried GMs very distinct design torch, and have contributed 
to a remarkable consistency. Number four in the line is Charles M. “Chuck” Jordan.

I remember sitting with Henry Haga under an apple tree (really!) near Rüsselsheim in 
the spring of 1976. Haga, the most elegant of designers, at the time with Opel, having 
followed David Holls who had succeeded Chuck Jordan there, was as interested as 
the next guy about who were to follow Bill Mitchell as GMs third head of design. 

“My hunch”, he said, “is that they will let Clare MacKichan be “chief for a day”, but 
move him on, then Jordan will take over for some years, to be followed by Irv Rybicki, 
and finally David Holls will put the house in order again”.

Pretty cynical, but it was already obvious that the next years would spell trouble - 
meaning government interference and safety and environmental considerations. 
Corporate ineptitude wasn’t as obvious yet, at least not to us outsiders. Most of the 
names he mentioned came from the middle level management sectors as he was, many 
of them were younger that him, but he was sincere (I believe) when he said he did not 
crave such a job. (He headed the California advanced studio, before a far too early 
death in 1988).

Apart from MacKichan, Haga got all the names right, but the order was wrong. And the 
reason we did not hear anything more from Holls, may have to do with the fact that he, 
too, was one of those who died too young. He worked as second in command under 
Jordan until 1991.

But it proved to be Rybicki who was the unfortunate to get there first, and to Charles 
Jordan fell the job of returning GM Design back to it’s former glory. He took over in 
1986 and left in 1992 with not only an enviable reputation, but also one of the world’s 
largest collections of Ferrari models! He was a “car guy” in the Mitchell mold.

Charles M. Jordan was born in California in 1927. In 1945 he first graduated from MIT 
Engineering School and then won the Fisher Body National Design Contest. Harley 
Earl saw his work and asked him to join the GM design staff, where he started in 
1948. His earliest classic was the 1955 Motorama Cameo, the first smooth sided 
pickup. Then he went to Euclid and later designed the Aerotrain. He returned to 
automobiles - the 1958 Corvette is one of his - became head of Cadillac design, and 
he signed off some excellent cars when he was at Opel at the end of the sixties.

And, as noted by for instance such a remote body as San Diego Model Car Club: in 
the Sixties he met Enzo Ferrari who drove him in the 250 GTE prototype. Mr. Ferrari 
even gave him a model of the Phil Hill Sharknose 156 Ferrari. “This was the start of a 
remarkably vast collection of Ferrari Models”. Why the San Diego MCC? Only because 
that was one of the many places Chuck Jordan recently visited and entertained with 
his reminiscences and observations.

This man who has been well known for not suffering fools gladly, he has called 
interviews off less than gracefully, calling them a waste of time; cutting off his 
designers enthusiastic descriptions asking “why don’t we put it in the drivers 
manual?”, and writing letters to Automotive News saying exactly what he thinks about 
to-day’s GM design (hated digital development – “a car like the Aztek would not have 
happened had a real model been developed”), and who once commanded 1300 people 
in six studios, has a very obvious mellow side too. Visiting enthusiasts clubs, and 
teaching high school pupils are parts of his daily schedule now. Valhalla High School 
in El Cajon has some very privileged Art students, that’s where he teaches car design 
on a voluntary basis for classes filled to capacity.

His continental career set new standards for GM. As design director for Opel from 
1967 he developed new standards both for design and organisation. The elegant 
Manta coupe was his, and some of the bread and butter Rekords were very 
competently done. He worked closely with Bob Lutz there, which might have helped 
the development of his personal style considerably. His Opel interest never waned and 
he was closely involved with the 1986 Omega/Carlton as well as the 1991 Astra, and 
when he did the production version of the sensational Opel GT in 1968 he worked 
closely with European body manufacturers like Chausson and Brissoneau et Lotz. 

Earlier he supported Bertone when they developed the 1963 Testudo on the Corvair 
base - that was a new GM direction, and you can ask people like Renault’s Jean-
Francois Venet about Jordan. He is not the only senior designer around with an 
enormous passion for Corvettes and admiration for Jordan. We should also mention his 
nose for emerging talents – he offered Anne Asensio a job when she studied at the 
College for Creative Studies in Detroit in 1987/88 – she stayed loyal to Renault then 
and did not accept until the offer was renewed in 2000. Students at Detroit’s CCS 
might also remember him with affection. During the development of the Buick Wildcat 
(1985) Jordan invited 12 students to participate in the development of that 'dreamcar' 
– unheard of until then.

Jordan’s career at the US end of GM is comprehensive. He worked closely with Earl, 
Mitchell and Rybicki. Before he became head of the Cadillac studio in 1959 he worked 
on such milestones as 1958 XP 700 Corvette concept and at his departure to Opel he 
had been head of all American and foreign small cars from 1962. At home again in 
1970 he participated in big projects as the J Car (1982 Cavalier, which started as the 
U-project in 1975) and when the Rybicki period started he became his second in 
command, and as part of an integrated vertical hierarchy, accessible only through 
Jordan, all design was to a large extent placed under him.

So there was no great surprise when Jordan was announced as Rybicki’s successor. 
He was well known, his tall figure was a familiar landmark at motor shows all over the 
world. He was the least insular of all GMs design bosses so far. He gave us journalists 
excellent copy, his quotes were as good as those of Bob Lutz and of equal 
candidness. He was a Ferrari owner and knew how to drive them. And he had some 
good designs to his name. 

But how will history judge his six-year’s reign? He took over in October 1986 and 
knew he had to retire at age 65, in 1992. He also knew that six years is not a long 
time in a car’s life. He may have had a clear vision of where GM design should head – 
the renaming of the division is an indication of that. GM Styling was the pre-war name, 
then in 1972 that was changed to Design Staff. In 1992 the name was again altered, 
to Design Center. Some might say that this was the most significant break with the 
past during this epoch.

The Oldsmobile Aerotech concept (1987) and the Buick Reatta (1988) were two 
successful cars from the Jordan era, but he has also left behind some very bland 
Saturns and a not very exciting Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight (1992) among many other very 
forgettable models. The Chevrolet Caprice was particularly unhappy as it happened 
more or less at the same time as the 'putsch' at the GM Board – some people did not 
believe Jordan would survive that one. And this was at the time when especially 
Chrysler’s designers were racing past, at least when it came to the all important 
column inches from the emerging Auto Show in Detroit. 

In his “The Art of American Car Design” (1988) Professor C. Edson Armi writes, “…Unlike 
certain business judgements, taste is an elusive thing that does not improve by 
conference calls. Someone at the top of General Motors has got to have it, and use it. 
The future rests in the hands of men like Design Director Chuck Jordan, but when he 
speaks of the advantages of the cooperative system of anonymous design his 
perspective is that of an engineer, unknowledgeable about art and uninterested in the 
history of automotive design…”

I always found Chuck Jordan well informed of art, current and old, he was extremely 
knowledgeable about the history of car design, especially the European angle, and I 
always found him a very individualistic person. But you have to remember that he had 
just, fairly directly, refused the professor an interview, and his PR-figure might of 
course be quite different from the corporate Mr. Jordan.

But whatever judgement history will pass on him, there can be no doubt that with his 
“corporate design” philosophy he at least prepared the ground for his successor’s 
Brand Character philosophy.

google "charles m jordan" and "general motors" and there are many hits
 From http://wiki.gmnext.com/wiki/index.php/Jordan,_Charles_M.

Jordan, Charles M.
Charles M. “Chuck” Jordan was only the fourth man elected to the position of vice 
president of the General Motors Design Staff. He assumed this role on October 6, 
1986 and held it until his retirement six years later in November 1992. 

Jordan was born on October 21, 1927 in Whittier, California. His interest in automobile 
styling and design began in grade school. As a national award winner in the Fisher 
Body Craftsman's Guild model car competition, he was awarded a four-year scholarship 
to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

In 1949, Jordan received a mechanical engineering degree from MIT and joined the 
GM Design (then Styling) Staff as a junior engineer. He spent the 1950s in a number 
of different studios and positions at Design including Euclid where developed a new 
look tractor. At the age of 26, Jordan was named chief designer of the special 
projects studio where he designed the Aerotrain, GM’s concept of future locomotive 
transportation. After his stint with special projects, he moved to the advanced studio 
where he designed a couple of notable Motorama dream cars: the Cameo show truck 
for 1955 and the Buick Centurion for 1956. One of his advanced studio concepts was 
also chosen by Pontiac general manager Bunkie Knudsen as the basis for that 
division’s first generation of “wide-tracks.” Jordan was also instrumental in the design 
of the 1958 Corvette and its conceptual cousin, the XP-700 “Phantom” Corvette. 

In 1957, he was appointed Cadillac chief designer where he began to prepare for the 
post-Harley Earl future of Cadillac. It was his design team that took the idea of tail fins 
to their absurd peak with the 1959 Eldorado. Jordan likened this to “letting a tiger out 
of the cage—saying go!” By letting go of the past, Cadillac design was able to move 
forward. 

In 1962, Jordan became executive in charge of automotive design, responsible for all 
GM car and truck exteriors. 

From 1967 to 1970, Jordan was design director for Adam Opel AG in Rüsselsheim, 
Germany. There he was responsible for a number well-regarded designs including the 
Manta coupe and the 1968 production model GT sports car. Even after his time at 
Opel was over, he kept a watchful eye and helped the design studio in Germany turn 
out the 1986 Omega and 1991 Astra among other models. 
On his return to the United States, Jordan was appointed executive in charge of 
automotive exterior design for GM’s upscale car segment, the Oldsmobile, Buick and 
Cadillac group. In 1972, he assumed a similar position for Chevrolet, Pontiac and 
commercial vehicles. 

In 1977, Jordan was named director of design for the entire staff. He was serving in 
that capacity when Irv Rybicki retired in 1986 and he was named vice president of 
Design. Jordan was tasked with returning GM’s product lines to their former glory 
following more than a decade of less than stellar design. It would prove to be a 
difficult task given he had only six years until he turned 65 years old, the mandatory 
age of retirement for GM executives. 

Under Jordan’s direction, GM Design forged ahead always keeping in mind his motto 
of “no dull cars.” The Jordan team was responsible for popular and attractive 
production models such as the Buick Reatta, the 1990s generation of Camaros and 
Firebirds, the Oldsmobile Aurora, and the 1992 Cadillac STS. Jordan was especially 
proud of these last two models. His leadership also produced concept cars like the 
Oldsmobile Aerotech, the Ultralite, and the Sting Ray III. 

Chuck Jordan retired from General Motors on November 1, 1992. Since his departure 
for GM, he has spent a large portion of his time teaching car design to high school art 
students in Southern California. 

Sources 
General Motors Public Relations Department Press Biography: Charles M. Jordan 
(1986)
Interview: Chuck Jordan, GM's Chief Designer, Motor Trend Classic (2006)
Eyes On Design Press Release: FORMER GENERAL MOTORS DESIGN VP CHUCK 
JORDAN RECEIVES EYESON DESIGN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, 05-25-
2005 

awt Omer/Steer/Callahan/Calvert
Chicago Tribune (IL) - December 23, 2010
Deceased Name: CHARLES M. JORDAN: 1927-2010 Former VP of design spent 43 
years at GM 
Charles M. "Chuck" Jordan, a former General Motors vice president of design whose 
early successes as a chief designer included the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, a space-age 
icon with enormous tail fins, has died. He was 83. 

Mr. Jordan died of lymphoma Dec. 9 at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., said his 
wife, Sally. 

In his 43-year career at General Motors, Mr. Jordan was involved in designing such 
vehicles as the 1958 Chevy Corvette and the 1968 Opel GT. In 1986 he became the 
fourth man in GM history to be named vice president of design. 

When Mr. Jordan retired as design chief in 1992, one staffer reportedly called him "the 
last of the great design dinosaurs." 

"He was a strong creative force at GM design, and a passionate leader," Ed Welburn, 
GM vice president of global design, said in a statement. 

Mr. Jordan launched his career in 1949 as a junior engineer in GM's design division 
after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

In the 1950s he moved to the advanced design studio, where he designed noteworthy 
dream cars for GM's "Motorama" concept showcase, including the 1955 Cameo truck 
and the 1956 Buick Centurian. He also was instrumental in the design of the XP-700 
"Phantom" Corvette concept. 

In 1957, the 30-year-old Mr. Jordan assumed the prestigious position of chief designer 
for Cadillac. 

Mr. Jordan, who appeared in the 1996 PBS documentary "America on Wheels," noted 
in an interview with the Los Angeles Times before the documentary aired that 
contemporary vehicles lack the personality of cars in the 1950s. 

"People back then were more conscious of cars," he said. "With the new generation, 
their cars are not as passionate a thing as they were back then. Now people want 
minivans. They are driving a lot of trucks. In those days, people were expecting some 
fabulous cars." 

Mr. Jordan once likened the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado's enormous pointed fins to "letting 
a tiger out of a cage -- saying 'go!' " "The original Cadillac fin was higher than the 
roof of the car on the coupe," he recalled with a laugh in the Times interview. "But 
even before the '59 hit the street, we had already completed the '60 design where we 
cut the fins off. That tells you we recognized that we probably overcooked it. 

"But people loved that car. I think they probably love it more today because it was a 
reflection of that culture back in those days." 

Mr. Jordan's "impact on the world of automotive design," AutoWeek writer Wes 
Raynal wrote at the time of Mr. Jordan's retirement in 1992, "is likely to be debated for 
decades to come." 

"For some, he will be remembered best for cars early in his career, most notably the 
'59 Cadillac," Raynal wrote. "To others, successes like the Pontiac Bonneville and 
Cadillac Seville. To his critics, the poorselling Chevrolet Caprice and APV minivans." 
---
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - December 20, 2010
Deceased Name: Charles "Chuck" Jordan
Whether a big-finned Cadillac or a roaring Corvette, when Charles "Chuck" Jordan 
designed an automobile, he did so following his own motto, "No dull cars." From 
building scale models as a grade-school student to his tenure as vice president of 
design at General Motors, his unwavering passion was for all things vehicular. 

Under Mr. Jordan's design direction at GM, models such as the 1958 Chevrolet 
Corvette, the Buick Reatta, the Camaros and Firebirds of the 1990s, and the 1992 
Cadillac STS were produced. His team also turned out the concept cars Oldsmobile 
Aerotech, the Ultralite, and the Sting Ray III. 

"Every design had its own complement of characteristics that made you feel, 'That's 
the car,'?" said Ron Van Gelderen, who, with Mr. Jordan, formed the League of 
Retired Automotive Designers in 2003 to motivate retired designers to pick up their 
pencils again and think futuristically. 

"He wanted to have designs that would make those who viewed them say, 'Wow! That 
is fantastic! I want one of those!' " 

Mr. Jordan died of lymphoma on Dec. 9 at his home in Rancho Santa Fe. He was 83. 

Charles Morrell Jordan was born Oct. 21, 1927 in Whittier, the second of five children 
to Charles and Bernice Jordan. He graduated from Fullerton High School. As a 
sophomore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, in 1947, he won the 
General Motors Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild design competition, which was the 
launching point of his lifelong career with the automotive giant. 

After graduating from MIT in 1949, he joined GM as a junior staffer designing tractors, 
and by the time he was 26, he was chief designer of GM's Special Projects studio. At 
30, he became chief designer of Cadillac, and with his team, crafted the outsized tail 
fins on the now-iconic 1959 Eldorado. 

In 1962, he was named executive in charge of exterior design for GM. That same year, 
Life magazine called Mr. Jordan one of the "100 most important young men and 
women in the United States" in its "Takeover Generation" issue. 

In a recent interview with autoweek.com, Volvo designer Geza Loczi, who worked for 
Mr. Jordan at GM from 1965 to 1980, said, "Chuck is probably one of the most 
visionary people I've ever known; he was always pushing for the guys to explore 
originality and newness." 

In 1986, Mr. Jordan was named vice president of design for all of General Motors, 
becoming only the fourth man in the company's history to hold that position. 

After retiring in 1992, he moved to Rancho Santa Fe, remaining active in the 
automotive design community and teaching his craft at Valhalla and La Costa Canyon 
high schools for eight years. He was also an avid collector of Ferrari cars, literature 
and scale models. 

Mr. Jordan is survived by his wife of 58 years, Sally; son Mark of Laguna Niguel; 
daughters Melissa Hall of Oxford, Mich., and Debra Bryan of Rochester, Mich.; 
brothers Stan of Selma, Ore., and John of Fullerton; sister Ruth Kennelly of Fullerton; 
and four grandsons. 

A memorial service will be held in Michigan. 

A scholarship has been created in Mr. Jordan's name, and donations may be made to 
the College for Creative Studies, Att.: Liz Klos, Director of Annual Giving and Donor 
Services, 201 E. Kirby, Detroit, MI 48202. 

pub rec on ancestry 6463 Delicias Pso, Rancho Santa Fe, Cal.

Parents
JORDAN Charles Leland ("C. Leland") (20 Jul 1902 - 5 May 1977)
LETTS Bernice May ("Betty") (9 Jan 1898 - 9 Jun 1971)

Siblings
JORDAN Charles Morrell ("Chuck") (21 Oct 1927 - 9 Dec 2010)
JORDAN Ruth Maxine ()
JORDAN David Stanley ("Stan") ()
JORDAN Evelyn May (28 May 1931 - 25 Aug 2000)
JORDAN ----- (unnamed) ()
JORDAN John Paul ()

Marriage To MERICLE Sally Irene ()

Notes

Parents
MERICLE A. Clyde ()
----- Bernice I. ()

Children by MERICLE Sally Irene
JORDAN Deborah ("Debra") ()
JORDAN Charles ("Mark") ()
JORDAN Melissa Marie ()

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