[1][2] William H. Van Dervoort and Orlando J. Root were classmates in the Mechanical courses and graduated BS from the Michigan State Agriculture College in 1893.

[3] Van Dervoort went on to Cornell where he received his masters and became an assistant professor of mechanics at Illinois State.

[5][6] The first 1904 Moline automobiles were powered by a newly developed 2-cylinder 12-hp engine, and a larger 4-cylinder model was added in 1905.

[8] Moline built one of the earliest long stroke four-cylinder gas engines that were becoming popular for improved power.

[1] Provided with a 3-speed in-unit transmission, It was demonstrated in a record-breaking continuous 337 hour test in the laboratory of the Automobile Club of America.

The new radiator emblem for the Moline-Knight included a profile of Sir Galahad, "The most perfect of King Arthur's knights".

[10][11] In 1914 W. H. Vandervoort became the President of the Society of Automobile Engineers succeeding Henry M. Leland, the founder of Cadillac and (later) Lincoln.

An additional factory building was completed for ordinance manufacturing and when the contract for the British ran out, the machinery was stored.

R & V was ready to begin arms production again when the United States entered the war, manufacturing shells and naval ordinance.

Van Dervoort toured Europe in May 1919 as part of the reconstruction effort and while there he grew gravely ill and nearly died.

[1][2] Since 1899, Orlando Root had been a business partner with University of Illinois professor Samuel W. Parr in the Standard Calorimeter Company.