Automotive career Keller joined the
General Motors Company (GMC) in 1911, and he worked as a general master mechanic for one of GMC's divisions, the
Buick Motor Company from 1916 to 1919. He quickly rose to become a vice president of
Chevrolet in 1921, later becoming a vice president for
Chrysler. From 1935 to 1950 he served as Chrysler's president and then as its chairman of the board until 1956. Under his leadership Chrysler got a contract from the US government for isolating Uranium 235, and he was a key figure in proposing a nickel plated device for this process that would allow replacement of much of the nickel with less expensive steel.
Public service Following World War II, President
Harry S. Truman appointed Keller as chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on the
Merchant Marine in 1947. Truman also appointed Keller to serve as the director of the Office of Guided Missiles. In 1954, he was one of ten outstanding scientists and industrialists appointed to the newly formed
Army Scientific Advisory Panel. Keller was also a 33rd degree
Freemason.
Awards Keller received many awards and honors during his lifetime. In 1946, President Truman awarded him the
Medal for Merit for his contribution during World War II. ==Footnotes==