Frederick Morrell Zeder (March 19, 1886 – February 24, 1951) was an American scientist and engineer who was one of the Studebaker engineers known as The Three Musketeers.^[1]

Frederick Morrell Zeder was born on March 19, 1886, in Bay City, Michigan, to Rudolph John Zeder.^{[2][citation needed]} At the age of eleven, Zeder worked at a box factory. He then worked as a railroad call boy, car checker and machinist apprentice. He attended Bay City High School.^[2] He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1909 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.^[2][3]

After graduating, Zeder worked as an apprentice at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee. In 1910, he became an erecting engineer at the firm.^[2] Later in 1910, Zeder joined E-M-F Company and became a leader in the company's engineering laboratories.^[2]

In 1913, Zeder joined Studebaker as a consulting engineer and later became chief engineer. He left Studebaker in 1920.^[2][4] In 1921, he joined Skelton and Breer in forming the Zeder-Skelton-Breer Engineering Company, a partnership that would later be known as The Three Musketeers.^[2][1] They were involved in the founding of the Chrysler Corporation, and were hand-picked by Walter Chrysler, then with Maxwell Motor Corporation, to come with him when he started the new company in 1923.^{[2][citation needed]} He helped design the original Chrysler car in 1924.^[5] Zeder served as vice chairman of Chrysler's board of directors and vice president of engineering until his death.^[5]

Zeder served as special consultant to the Chief of Army Ordnance in World War II.^[2] In 1941, Zeder became president of the Detroit Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. He served as director of the Grand Opera Society, director of the United Foundation and as a member of the state advisory board of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.^[2] He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Engineering Society of Detroit, the Franklin Institute and the American Society for Testing Materials.^[4]

Zeder married Lucille Monroe in 1919. They had one son and three daughters, Fred M. Jr., Dorothy June, Priscilla Ann and Margaret Lucille.^[2][4] He lived at 17500 E. Jefferson in Grosse Pointe.^[2]

Zeder died while on vacation on February 24, 1951, at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach.^[5][2] He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.^[6]

Zeder received a honorary master's degree in engineering from the University of Michigan in 1933.^[2] He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1998.^[7]