John F. Roth Page 348 - John F. Roth, owner of the Roth Body Company, manufacturers of bodies for automobile trucks, was born in Lowell, Michigan, April 5, 1891, the son of John C and Marie Anna (Bieri) Roth, the former of whom was born in Switerland. John C. Roth came to the United States when he was twenty-one years old, and after spending several years in the eastern part of the United States, he moved to Lowell, Michigan, where he engaged in the trade of wagon making, in which he was highly successful. He died in 1916 at Lowell, and his wife died in 1902. John F. Roth attended the public schools of his native city, and after his graduation from the high school, he matriculated at the Michigan State Auto School where he pursued a course of study for a time. With the completion of this special course of study, he went to work for his father making wagons, learning the fundamental principals of vehicle construction which insured his future success. When his father became too ill to continue in charge of the business, he took over the management of the concern, but sold it in 1921. He then came to Grand Rapids where he established the Roth Body Company to manufacture bodies for automobile trucks. The company manufactures any type of body for any make of truck on the market, and this range has been a great factor in building up the large amount of business which it now enjoys. The firm is on a sound footing, and the achievement of Mr. Roth in building up a substantial enterprise in the space of a few years has won him recognition as one of the able executives in Grand Rapids. On October 9, 1915, he married Miss Marie Perry, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Perry, of Lowell, Michigan. He is a member of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce and of the Burton Heights Business Men's Association.

Transcriber: Terry Start
Created: 4 March 2003