Best was born in
Albany, Oregon. He started out working for
Best Manufacturing Company, owned by his father,
Daniel Best, and eventually became manager of Best Manufacturing Company's
Stockton, California plant. Best Manufacturing Company was acquired by
Holt Manufacturing Company in 1908. In 1910, Best left Holt Manufacturing Company and formed his own company, C. L. Best Gas Traction Company, to continue his father's work. In the area around Stockton, California, over 300 tractors from Best were in use until the end of 1918. Originally operating out of a plant in
Elmhurst, California, the C. L. Best Traction Company became large enough to purchase Daniel Best's former
San Leandro, California plant in mid-1916. In 1920, the C. L. Best Traction Company was restructured and renamed the C. L. Best Tractor Company. The most successful tractor produced was the C. L. Best 60 Tracklayer, later produced as the
Caterpillar Sixty. In the mid-1920s, Holt encountered financial trouble. Best's financial backers approached Holt executives to discuss a merger. On April 15, 1925, C. L. Best Tractor Company and Holt Manufacturing Company merged to form Caterpillar Tractor Company (later
Caterpillar Inc.). Best remained
chairman of the board of Caterpillar until his death in 1951. He was interred at
Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California. ==References==