William Crapo "Billy" Durant (December 8, 1861 – March 18, 1947) was a leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry, who created a system in which a company held multiple marques - each seemingly independent, with different automobile lines - bound under a unified corporate holding company.
Durant, along with Frederic L.
Smith, co-founded General Motors, as well as Chevrolet with Louis Chevrolet.