Friday 19th September 1919

Wary of the unpopularity of “German-sounding” names after World War I, August Beuck began using the name Buick rather than Beuck for the first time when he christened the new post office in his Colorado hometown. The new name of the General Motors (GM) marque seemed assuredly all-American in a time when anti-German feelings dominated the nation. The wave of intolerance had begun with the United States entrance into World War I, resulting in many a Schmidt becoming a Smith. Throughout the country, hundreds of German newspapers and publications were forced to shut down, and German language instruction came to an end in most states.