In 1900 the Dodge Brothers Company was founded in Michigan by Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge to make components and assemblies for other auto makers. In 1914 the first 'Dodge Brothers' branded automobile was marketed, but the brothers both died in 1920 and in 1925 Dodge Brothers was sold by the brothers' widows to an investment company but model development stagnated. Also in 1925 Dodge bought a large stake in the Graham Brothers who produced trucks and led to the marketing of Dodge Trucks. But the three Graham brothers left the company in 1927, eventually to set up Graham-Paige. In 1928 the investment company sold Dodge Brothers to the Chrysler Corporation. Chrysler positioned the Dodge brand above Plymouth but beneath DeSoto. During WWII Dodge trucks were the backbone of the American forces which stood them in good stead for post war commercial vehicle sales. Auto sales continued to follow other developments in the Chrysler company, but Dodge jumped onto the muscle car market with the Charger.