Америкалық кәсіпкер және автомобиль өнеркәсібінің дамуына қосқан үлесі

American businessman
In 1927 he replaced Clifton as the head of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce. In addition to his corporate interests, Chapin spearheaded the drive to build the Lincoln Highway, along with Henry B. Joy of Packard Motors. While Chapin viewed a system of professionally designed and built roadways as the greatest way to grow the automobile industry, he also saw the modern roadways movement as a way to secure long range strength for the United States as a nation.

After building Hudson into one of the most profitable independent American automobile manufacturers, Chapin left Hudson for the Hoover administration upon his appointment in 1932. During his tenure as secretary of commerce, Chapin was unsuccessful in persuading Henry Ford to provide financial help to avoid the collapse of the Union Guardian Trust Company of Detroit. Ford's refusal to aid the bank in averting a financial failure led to the Michigan Bank Holiday, an event that began a series of state bank holidays and ultimately to the passage of Roosevelt administration's Emergency Banking Act of 1933.

Chapin returned to Hudson in March 1933. His final three years were spent trying to save the company from the effects of the Great Depression. He died in Detroit, Michigan, on February 16, 1936. He was succeeded at Hudson by A. E. Barit. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

In 1927, Chapin commissioned noted architect John Russell Pope to design a residence for his family at 447 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Pope later designed the Jefferson Memorial, National Archives Building and National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C. Bryant Fleming landscaped the grounds which included 600 year old yews imported from England. Mrs. Chapin occupied the residence until her death in 1956 when Henry Ford II and wife Anne purchased the property. Ford owned the estate until 1983 when he demolished the house and divided the land to construct condominiums. In 1954, Nash Kelvinator acquired Hudson in a friendly merger. The resulting company, American Motors Corporation (AMC), continued operation until Chrysler acquired it in 1987. Chapin's son, Roy D. Chapin Jr., served as chairman and chief executive officer of AMC and led the automaker to the acquisition of Kaiser Jeep Corporation in 1970. Chapin was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1972. His grandson, William R. Chapin, was named president of the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2010.