Happy Go Lucky

The Motor Company owes a debt of gratitude to one of its earliest, happiest influencers

If time travel were possible, who wouldn’t love to go back and talk to the founders of Harley-Davidson? But if their schedules were full, a strong second choice would be a man named ‘Hap’.

Howard ‘Hap’ Jameson was born in Jacksonville, Illinois in 1892. By 1910, he was making a name for himself racing motorcycles – and making regular visits to the local hardware store. In late 1911, the shop received a visit from H-D® founder Arthur Davidson to see if the store’s owner was interested in becoming a Harley® motorcycle dealer. He struck up a conversation with Howard – and promptly recruited him to work at HQ in Milwaukee. On the condition that the Motor Company cover his moving expenses, Howard agreed. He boarded a train and moved to Milwaukee in January 1912.

His first job was in test riding, evaluating and recommending improvements to new products. But it wasn’t long before his knowledge of electricity (before dealing Harley motorcycles, Hap and his brother started an electrical company) caught the attention of the product development team. He was put to work on one of the first ‘landmark’ motorcycles: the 1915 11-J. Sort of a Project RUSHMORE bike of its day, the 11-J brought new electrical lighting that illuminated the road better than its acetylene predecessors.

Jameson, a gifted rider and racer, often volunteered to lead rider tours, including one with the Short Grass Motorcycle Club of Kansas. Its members were so impressed with his sunny disposition they dubbed him ‘Happy’ and made him their director. Over the course of his life, keeping Jameson away from club events, rallies and hill climbs was impossible. Late in his career, he even used his electrical expertise to develop a photoelectric timing mechanism for hill climbs and other races.

By the late 1910s, Jameson was taking his expertise on the road to provide service training for the U.S. Army and police departments. His work with legendary H-D employee Joe Ryan led to the creation of the Quartermaster School for Army mechanics during World War I, known today as Harley-Davidson University.

Jameson was nothing if not multitalented. On the road, he also helped dealers polish their sales skills, while his photos frequently graced the pages of the Harley-Davidson Dealer and Enthusiast magazines. His ample charisma also made him a natural in front of the camera; numerous advertising photos featured his winning smile.

He could write, too. In the 1920s Jameson penned an advice column for Enthusiast under the name ‘Uncle Frank’. With a light and humorous style, the popular ‘Uncle Frank’s Mailbag’ invited readers to tease and challenge Jameson with their technical questions. He teased them right back – while skilfully answering their toughest inquiries, often in great detail. He also wrote in-depth articles about new models and authored a twopart history of the Motor Company in 1929.

Before serving as an Army major in World War II, Jameson personally oversaw the preparations for the now-legendary WLA military motorcycle, known to some in later years as the ‘Liberator’, as well as the opposed-twin engine XA that was purpose-built for desert use.

Perhaps Jameson’s greatest gift, however, was an innate knack for making customers feel special and welcome. Any visitor to the Milwaukee factory who crossed paths with ‘Uncle Frank’ received a free quart of oil. And when famed rider Vivian Bales made her historic ride from Georgia to Milwaukee in 1929, Jameson helped lead the escort the company provided for her to Chicago on her ride home.

In 1946, Jameson left Harley-Davidson to become a dealer in Evanston, Illinois. At his departure, the Motor Company gifted to him the bike and sidecar that was his company ride: a 1941 74-cubic-inch FL, purportedly the fi rst one built. To the surprise of no one, he thrived at dealing motorcycles until his retirement in 1955. He passed away in 1978.

Over the course of his life, Jameson also found time to be a talented woodworker, tournament chess player, and devoted father who took his children to rallies and hill climbs. As a result, his son Bob was also bitten by the motorcycle bug and worked for H-D in the 1960s. In 2013, Bob donated photos and personal effects of his father’s to the HarleyDavidson Museum™.

The Motor Company, its dealers and its riders can all be thankful H-D hired Hap Jameson in 1911 – and feel fortunate he made it to Milwaukee. On the train ride there, he struck up a conversation with a man who was so impressed by Jameson’s knowledge and charm that he offered him a job on the spot. After receiving a gentle refusal, the man offered Jameson his business card, in case he might change his mind.
The name
on the card?
Henry Ford.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY ARCHIVES. COPYRIGHT H-D®.

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