Leitch was a British-born engineer who had worked for the long-established Amesbury firm of Ellis & Son. Originally founded in 1867 as Huntington & Ellis.

James N. Leitch Company logo.
James N. Leitch Company logo.

Leitch decided to go into business for himself and along with a partner, James F. Irving, established the James N. Leitch Company in order to manufacture carriage millwork. Leitch also designed a number of novel convertible carriage bodies offered them in-the-white to a number of larger Amesbury builders.

Leitch’s Cedar St. plant was severely damaged by a 1913 fire that destroyed most of their stock of dried lumber and the firm appears to have vanished from the Amesbury scene at the same time.

A single known Leitch-built automobile body is known to exist, a dark blue touring car that graces a 1913 Locomobile that took part in some early Glidden Tour revivals.

(source: Coachbuilt) ©2004 Mark Theobald – All rights reserved.