Kenworth

The history of Kenworth began in Portland. In 1912 the company was founded as a car and truck dealer by the brothers George T. and Louis Gellinger Jr. The company was called Gerlinger Motor Car Works. In 1914 they decided to build their own truck with a more powerful six cylinder internal combustion engine. This was the first ever used in a commercial truck. The truck was called The Gersix and presented to the public in 1915.

In 1916 the company moved to Tacoma in the state of Washington. The businessman Edgar K. Worthington from Seattle at that time managed his mother's commercial building, where Gerlinger became a tenant and he became intrigued by the company. It seemed that Worthington's tenant did well and the company became quite popular in the northwest of the United States. However, the company struggled and in 1917 Louis Gerlinger offered the production department for sale. Worthington did not miss this opportunity, together with his partner Captain Frederick Kent, he formed The Gersix Manufacturing Company to continue making 6 cylinder trucks.

In 1919 Kent retired and his son Harry took over his partnership. In 1922, Gersix produced 53 trucks at its Fairview Avenue factory in Valley Street. under the new name the company moved to 506 Mercer Street and later to 1263 Mercer Street.

Kenworth was founded in 1923, the name is an acronym formed from both surnames of the owners Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington.