Niels H. F. Olsen was born in Nottero Tunsberg, Norway in 1890. After completing primary education, he studied mechanical engineering at a technical training college, immigrating to the United States in 1911. Olsen began his career at Ford Motor Company's Highland Park Plant in 1915 and over the next decade worked in a wide variety of jobs at Highland Park and the River Rouge Plant. A talented designer and draftsman with a solid engineering background, Olsen was instrumental in the concept and design of several Ford innovations from World War I tanks to experimental engines, bumpers, steering gear locks, and wire wheels. Olsen was also actively engaged in the streamline design of Ford and Lincoln cars in the mid-1930s. After leaving Ford Motor Company, Olsen established his own engineering design firm in Detroit, Michigan.
From the description of Niels H. F. Olsen papers, 1895-1954. (The Henry Ford). WorldCat record id: 758981594
