Clinton Edgar Woods (February 7, 1863 - December 19, 1927) was an electrical and mechanical engineer, inventor, manufacturer of automobiles in Chicago and New York City.

In 1886 Woods drifted into steam and electric work at local central stations at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at Peekskill and at Newburg, N.Y.

Woods was married to Ida Noble Humphrey in 1881, and they had one daughter Florence Estella, born in 1882 and known to be the "first lady to own and operate an automobile in New York City.

"[1] Woods died on 19 December 1927, the result of burns that were suffered in an industrial accident at his factory in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

An 1894 article in Western Electrician mentioned, that Woods work had "won for him reputation and prominence in the electrical field.

He has designed for [the Standard Electric company in Chicago] a complete line of arc, alternating and constant potential dynamos, motors, etc., such accessories as transformers and instruments for perfecting the system, during the last twelve months.

"[4] In Chicago in 1895 Woods founded the automobile manufacturer company American Electric Vehicle Co with the support of Samuel Insull[3] with a capital stock of $250,000.

In September 1899 the Woods Motor Vehicle Company made a restart based in New Jersey with a capital stock injection of $10,000,000 by Samuel Insull, August Belmont, Jr., and some other Standard Oil investors.

First the origin, elective power and executive heads of the company; then the producing, accounting and sales departments... with all their miscellaneous duties.

"[31] Due to these works Woods is recognised as being among the foremost early 20th century writers on accountancy and management, with others such as Henry Metcalfe, Frederick Winslow Taylor, C.E.

Knoeppel, Harrington Emerson, Horace Lucian Arnold, Charles U. Carpenter, Alexander Hamilton Church and Henry Gantt.