In the early years of the Cadillac Motor Co., the company didn’t have “dealerships” to sell their two-seat horseless carriages with a 10 horsepower, single-cylinder engine – they had “distributors.”

Cadillac would send the vehicles to a regional wholesaler or “distributor” who were part of the Cadillac Automobile Agencies network. All the other dealers in that area would order their Cadillacs from that regional agency and the distributor would ensure that the cars made it to the dealers.

Jacob and Louis Roth were among the first Cadillac Master Distributors, founding the Roth Cadillac Co. in Erie, Pa. in 1903 – 121 years ago and just months after the Cadillac Motor Co. was officially launched in August 27, 1902.

“They were a Cadillac Master Distributor until the 1950s, so any dealer who got a Cadillac, they came through Roth and [the brothers] earned a commission,” says George T. Lyons, president of Roth Cadillac. “They had a huge territory – about four or five counties in Pennsylvania. They had signed on with [Cadillac founder] Henry Leland, and their territory was massive. But as towns grew and the brand grew, other people wanted to be a dealer as well.”

History Lessons

The Roth brothers were the sons of German immigrants Gottlieb and Barbara Roth. As teenagers, Jacob and Louis made a name for themselves by racing bicycles.

“Bicycle board track racing was way bigger than you or I would imagine after the Civil War, right up until the 1900s,” Lyons says. “The Roth brothers had some success in races throughout the Northeast, and Midwest. They were pretty good, won some races of notoriety, came back to Erie and decided they could build bicycles.”

Jacob and Louis started manufacturing bicycles in 1889 at a shop in 18 West Ninth Street.

“I’ve always been told that they really did have some reasonable success with the bicycle business, but there were quite a few other manufacturers who were able to sell at volume,” Lyons explains. “They sold in this area of the country, but not really nationally and it’s rare to find one today, but antique bicycle fanatics know who they are.” In fact, there’s an antique Roth bicycle hanging in the Roth Cadillac dealership today.

Soon after, the brothers turned their attention to the new horseless carriages, signing on with Henry Leland, and opening their first dealership selling Cadillacs and Oldsmobile on State Street in downtown Erie. They also had Rio cars at one point, as well as other peripheral franchises over the years including Fiat, Mitsubishi and DeLorean, according to Lyons.

“But always Cadillac, and always right in the center of Erie,” he says.

Erie Royalty

The Roth dealership helped shaped the development and growth of Erie, Lyons says. “The Roths were the royalty of Erie,” he says. “Not only were they the Cadillac dealer, they were also well known in the community.”

In addition to building his dealership business, Jacob Roth also became a major real estate developer in downtown Erie, constructing the Lincoln Building on the northeast corner of 11th and State Streets in 1905 along with the Roth Building on 11th and 12th Streets, the Cadillac Building on the corner of 12th and State Streets and the Union Building.

In 1969, Roth Cadillac Co. moved to Peach Street, where today it employs 85 people and houses a monumental history and an elevated standard of customer service.

“Cadillac still stands alone as its own brand, but in that same geographic location we also have an Audi dealership that we’ve had for about 40 years,” Lyons says.

The Finest in Its Class

The Roth Cadillac Co. stayed in the family for four generations before Lyons and his partner, Gary Miller worked with the family to acquire it in 1998.

“I’ve always appreciated the Roth history and the Cadillac brand,” Lyons says.

In 2019, Lyons had the chance to acquire a 1912 Cadillac Model 30 touring car sold from the original Roth Cadillac dealership at 1117-1119 State St. The car – complete with original dark blue body paint, convertible canvas top and wood wheels, sold for $1,795 in 1912, and had remained in Erie the entire 107 years. 

Today, the antique artifact is displayed in a prime location in the Roth Cadillac showroom, a symbol of the entrepreneurial family that helped build Erie, Pa. into what it is today and the premier luxury car company that became “The Standard of the World.”