Madden Bros, Inc. - part 1

The three sons of Thomas and Eliza Madden inherited the shipping business from their father.

Throughout their childhood the business had been run by their uncle, Michael Lynn.  By 1910 the company was pretty much defunct and Michael was selling boat supplies.  Thomas 17 and his younger brothers were all living at home and their occupations were listed as none.(1)

In 1920 the brothers are still living together in the family home.  Thomas is listed as a wholesale fruit dealer, Francis and Charles are listed with no occupation both had attended school within the last year. (2)  Their Aunts Mary Lynn and Lena Schramm are living with them.

By 1930 Thomas with wife Helen was living in Edina, Hennipen, MN and is listed as the manager of a Transportation Company.(3) Francis (Frank) is living in Duluth, MN with wife Isabel and his four children and is listed as the Vice President of a Transportation Company. (4)  Charles is living in Minneapolis, MN with wife Helen and three children and is listed as owner of a trucking company. (5).  Each brother will be covered in a future post.

Madden Bros. Vs. Railroad and
Warehouse Commission of Minnesota et al 

In The Case of the Railroads versus the Highway Truckers in the competitive field of L.C.L freight transportation, Charles gives the history of Madden Bros., Inc.  "In April, 1928, the three Madden brothers organized Madden Bros., Inc. of St. Paul, Minn.  This company was formed to exploit our 

Supreme Court Commission

patented trailers in trucking new automobiles from the factories in Michigan and St. Paul, Minn., to points in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota.  As we were the first company to transport automobiles over the highways, the Northwest railroads objected and we were forced to carry the controversy to the U.S. Supreme Court.  After this court decided in our favor, we expanded Madden Brothers from strictly an interurban trucking company to also a forwarding company, and a transportation research and development company.  This expanded company made a transportation survey for the Automobile Traffic Managers Transportation Committee.  Also, surveys for the railroads, such as Great Northern, Milwaukee Road and Northwestern Line.  These surveys resulted in Madden Brothers and the Railway Express Agency making joint contracts with the railroads.  Our survey and recommendation were used in zoning the city of Chicago for the railroad store door automobile movement and was later adopted for L.C.L. freight and for U.S. parcel post.  Because of the success of the trucking division, the forwarding division and the research and development division; Coordinated Transportation, Inc. was organized in March, 1935 to take over the research and development division of Madden Brothers and to exploit the resultant patents from building special railroad equipment; Mutual Transit Corporation was organized in April, 1937 to take over the forwarding division of Madden Brothers; and in May 1937 the interurban trucking division (Madden Brothers) was sold to a Detroit company that was specializing in the hauling of Ford Automobiles.

"Mutual Transit Corporation was organized in April, 1937 as a forwarding company of new automobiles from the factories in Michigan to various points in the Northwest.  The stock was held by the three Madden brothers and the majority of the Twin Cities automobile distributors and dealers.  The movement was in conjunction with the Great Lakes package freight lines and the Northwest railroads.  Mutual Transit ceased doing business in July, 1942 as there were no new automobiles being manufactured to transport.


Jim Madden (Francis) talked about the Poker Fleet travelling the Great Lakes during his childhood. The Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten, owned by the Minnesota-Atlantic Transit Company were used by the Mutual Transit Company to transport cars.  This picture shows (standing - Jim (Francis), Tom (Francis), Tom (Tom), seated Tom, Mary Pat (Francis) and Jane (Francis) on the Ace which was based in Duluth.  Not only were there no more automobiles being built in 1942, but this fleet which had originally been designed for salt water use in WWI was sold, the Queen and Ten to Brazil and the other three to the US Maritime Commission.




(1) 1910 US Census Bay Ward 2, Bay,Michigan; Roll: T624_636; Page: 1A; ED 38
(2)  1920 US Census - Bay Ward 2, Bay,Michigan; Roll 755; Page: 7B; ED 57
(3) 1930 US Census - Edina, Hennepin, Minnesota; Roll: 1088; Page: 14B; ED 277.
(4) 1930 US Census - Duluth, St Louis,Minnesota; Roll: 1126; Page: 13B; ED 42
(5) Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota; Roll: 1092; Page: 17B; ED 70.