Marie Luhring

Marie Luhring was an automotive engineer and one of the first female truck designers in the United States. In 1920, she became the first female associate member of the American Society of Automotive Engineers.

Early life and education

Marie Luhring was born on May 24 1892 in NewYork City. She graduated from Hunter College with a degree in art and interior design. She briefly worked as an animator before beginning her career in engineering.

Career

In 1918, Marie Luhring began working for International Motors Company, along with twenty-six other women, due to a shortage of male engineers during World War I. She worked for the company for the rest of her life, until 1939.
In 1920, Luhring was admitted as an associate member of the American Society of Automotive Engineers, making her the first female member of the society. Six years later, Ethel H. Bailey became the first woman to be a full member of the SAE.
In the late 1920s, Luhring was involved in the development of a gas-electric locomotive. Her colleagues reportedly called her "a marvelous person, a marvelous worker."
Marie Luhring died in Muhlenberg Hospital on December 29 1939 aged only 47 after an illness of six months.