The trannys I'm talking about had a very small clutch on the back of the fluid couplings (or torque converters, whatever they were) and you could drive them with the clutch pedal out and shift and stop them and then drive away with it out also: up:
I would shift it out of high on the column into 2nd gear position before getting to a stop sign or signal so it would take off in low gear with the clutch pedal released

back in my junkyard ownership days [1972-1984/5], we hauled in a 1936 chysler 4door with a 3speed overdrive transmission.
you might consider that to be a 4speed transmission.
that transmission was sold through hemmings magazine, and went to california.

I drove a work truck, 1956 Chevy 1/2 ton flatbed with a 235 C.I. six cylinder and O.D. 3 speed on the column, sometimes I would make it shift in each gear, 6 forward gears

Cab, speaking about that GM overdrive, last year sometime, one of the guys around here mentioned he had a saginaw 4 speed with an adapted overdrive unit from a saginaw 3 speed transmission.
a buddy and i tried several times to hook up with that guy, but the stars didn't align, and we never did see that critter.
the guy said it was a pretty simple conversion to do, requiring only drilling a "through hole" between the 4 speed case and the O.D. tailshaft housing, plus a simple mod to the 4 speed output shaft.
maybe we can hook up this year to see it.

That fluid drive and applies ONLY to the coupling between the engine and transmission, not the gear count. It is nothing more than a hydraulic coupling. The clutch was there because riding the coupling at a stop could, if done long enough, overheat the coupling and fail a seal.

The same transmission could be had with, or without, that coupling. Change the input shaft and bellhousing and you can have a regular three speed with only a clutch, or four speed if you opted for the OD. Which is the OP's question, when did Chrysler come out with a four speed. 1935 is the answer.

Do be aware the 63 4 spd's are bastards IE: 1 year only and have different bellhousings, linkages etc.

You be: up:

I thought somewhere I read or was told that you couldn't get a four speed manual trans in a early plymouth Savoy or something similar. I believe I was reading about the early Maxie's or some such thing. So as a result I was under the impression that no such thing as a four gear was available. Kinda like now we have 5 and 6 speeds and at one point in time they weren't available ??
Thanks for all the info

one year chrysler 300 had a french made 4 speed. i think it was something like a "pont-a- monsour" or something like that.
would that be the 300F or 300G ?

3 spd or auto only until 63

That's what I thought I remembered. So probably the trans has been changed which to me is okay. Unfortunately the car has not come available yet.
Thanks to all.

1962 and 1963 M.W. cars with manual tranny came with heavy duty Borg Warner 3 speeds only, the 4 speeds cars had the smaller HP motors like the 383 and 361 for barrel motors.

Again thanks to all for the great information.
Bennoel