Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson 1930 Connecticut Dealership Contract Signed by Co-founder Arthur Davidson

 

2pp contract signed by Harley-Davidson co-founder Arthur Davidson (1881-1950) as "Arthur Davidson" near bottom of page two. Contract is dated September 8, 1930 and is also signed by a Bridgeport, Connecticut-based dealer named Leon J. Landry. Partly printed and partly typed on both sides of golden rod colored paper measuring 8.5" x 14". Stamped verso. A typed paper slip has been glued to center of front page. Folded into brochure size with a docket panel. A few folds and minor closed tears, else near fine.

 

The "Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, Sidecar and Package Truck Sales Contract" authorized dealer Leon J. Landry to sell Harley-Davidson vehicles within Fairfield County, Connecticut, an 837-square-mile region located along Connecticut's panhandle. The 22-clause contract outlined terms and conditions such as selling reservations, demonstrator obligations, and deposit fees.

 

"(1) Witnesseth: The Seller hereby grants to the Dealer, during the continuance of this agreement and subject to the terms, conditions and exceptions hereof, the right to purchase from it such Nineteen Hundred Thirty-One Model Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, Sidecars, Package Trucks, and Chassis, as it may desire to sell for resale in the territory hereinafter designated at prices and on terms and conditions following…"

 

Leon J. Landry was expected to sell 22 Harley-Davidson motorcycles between February-November among 17 1931 models. His geographical zone included a large portion of Connecticut's so-called Gold Coast, situated northwest of New York City.

 

A 1931 Harley-Davidson VL motorcycle cost $255, an equivalent of over $3,800 in 2018 money. This was prohibitively expensive during the first years of the Great Depression, and Harley-Davidson sales plummeted.  Nevertheless, the VL model, with its dual flathead engine first introduced in 1931, proved to be one of the most popular store-brand touring bikes.

 

Harley-Davidson was a motorcycle manufacturing company established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1903 by two childhood friends, William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson. The pair tinkered with motorcycle mechanics and chassis design to "Take the Work out of Bicycling." By 1920, Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world; it still operates today.

 

Leon Joseph Landry (1903-1987) was listed in a March 1956 issue of American Motorcyclist as the owner-manager of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Daytona Beach, Florida. According to the magazine, Landry had sold H-D vehicles since 1922.

 

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