Manufacturing Hall of Fame

Alrich was born in Logans­port, Indiana. In 1870, he moved to Beloit where he worked as a draftsman for the Merrill and Houston Iron Works (which as the O. E. Merrill Company was the first manufacturer of papermaking machinery in the state, 1858). When this firm failed in 1882, Aldrich and four others began to acquire capital and in 1885 organized the Beloit Iron Works, using the plant of the older firm. Aldrich was secretary of the company (1885-1889) and president (1889-1931). An inventor, he was granted numerous patents on papermaking machinery. The Beloit plant was the largest manufacturer of papermaking machinery in the world.

In 1890, Lewis Miller Alexander moved to Port Edwards, Wisconsin, where he was one of the incorporators of John Edwards Manufacturing Company, a lumber-producing organization, of which in 1891 he became president. Dwindling lumber resources forced him to turn to wood pulp and paper making. In 1893, with Tom E. Nash and others, he helped organize the Nekoosa Paper Company and built a mill at Nekoosa. In 1896 the same group built a mill at Port Edwards. In 1908, the Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Company was formed through a com­bination of the Nekoosa Paper Company, John Edwards Manufacturing Com­pany, Port Edwards Fibre Company, and the Centralia Pulp & Water Power Company, all controlled by Alexander and his associates. It eventually became one of the state’s largest paper manufacturers. Alexander served as president from 1911 until his death. He helped organize the Wood County National Bank, and had widespread business holdings. Active in philanthropy, he was noted for his large donations to secondary and higher education. Alexander also founded the Nekoosa State Bank.

Born in Caze­novia, New York. In 1864 he moved to Milwaukee where he entered the leather business. In 1861 Allis became the owner of the Reliance Iron Works of Milwaukee, which was known as Edward P. Allis & Company after 1863. By 1889 Edward P. Allis & Company had become one of the largest iron works in the West, doing an annual business of $3,000,000 and employing over 1,200 workers. In 1901 his heirs incorporated the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company. He was active in politics during the 1870s and 80’s, and was twice Greenback candidate for governor. 

Born in Milwaukee, Wiscon­sin, as a son of Edward Phelps Allis, he began his business career as a clerk in his father’s firm. He left the Edward P. Allis Company in 1901 and for several years supervised the large timber and mining holdings of his father’s estate. In 1901 he invested in the recently formed Mechanical Appliance Company, a Milwaukee manufacturer of direct-current motors. In 1903 he was made presi­dent of the firm, and in 1922 the company was renamed the Louis Allis Com­pany, with Allis continuing as president until his retirement in 1945. The firm pioneered in the development of individual motorization of factory machines which, by eliminating line shafts and drive belts, contributed to safety and efficiency.

Following brief ventures in a wholesale grocery partnership and in a produce business with his brother, Herman Armour, he formed a partnership in 1859 with Fred­erick B. Miles in a liquor, produce and commission business. In 1863 he dis­solved the partnership and engaged briefly in a soap and candle business with his brother, Herman. In 1864 he accepted a partnership with John Plankinton under the firm name of Plankinton & Armour, pork and beef packers. The business grew rapidly and large branches were established in Chicago and Kansas City along with the extensive meat exporting house of Armour, Plank­inton & Company in New York City. In 1875, while Plankinton remained in Milwaukee to head the parent company, Armour moved to Chicago to manage their packing interests in that city. In 1884, the partnership was dissolved with Armour taking over the Chicago, Kansas City and New York interests and Plankinton continuing the business in Milwaukee.

Frank Rogers Bacon organized the American Rheostat Company in 1892. A few years later, he organized the Cutler-Hammer Manufacturing Company, a Wisconsin-based corporation, which absorbed the American Rheostat Company. Bacon was president of the consolidated company from 1899 to 1924, chairman of the board of directors from 1924 to 1928. Cutler-Hammer, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) was formed in 1928. He served as chairman of the successor corporation from 1928 to 1931, as president and chairman of the board of directors from 1931 to 1945, and as chairman again until his death.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Beggs became manager of the electrical central station at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1883. Three years later, he was elected the second presi­dent of the National Association of Edison Illuminating Companies. His intro­duction to the Wisconsin scene came in 1891 when he was named a director of the pioneer hydroelectric central station company at Appleton. He continued his career in New York, Chicago, and Cincinnati before coming to Milwaukee in 1897. He served as president of the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company (now Wisconsin Electric Power Company) from 1902 until 1911, when he left Milwaukee for St. Louis, where he had acquired a controlling interest in the St. Louis Car Co. He returned in 1920 to serve as president of T. M. E. R. & L. Co. until his death in 1925. 

Valentin Blatz migrated to the United States from Bavaria in 1847, settling in Milwaukee in 1848, where he worked as a foreman in a local brewery. In 1851, he purchased the brewery. As his brewing business expanded, Blatz became prominent in railroad promotion and in banking and real estate operations. In 1889, the Blatz interests were reincorporated as the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company, with Blatz as president until his death. Additionally, he was president of the Second Ward Savings Bank (1866-1894) and a member of the commission to organize the Industrial Exposition of 1880 in Milwaukee.

In 1903, Lynde Bradley invented the compression rheostat, which offered a better way to control the speed of electric motors. After securing an investment from a life-long friend, Dr. Stanton Allen, he founded what would become the Allen-Bradley Company. Bradley held the title of president of the company from 1916 until his death in 1942, by which time they were producing a complete line of electrical control devices found in items from radios and televisions to RADAR and fighter planes. The Allen-Bradley Company was sold to Rockwell Automation in 1985.

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An Oshkosh native, Charles Frederick Burgess graduated from the University of Wisconsin (BE, 1896; EE, 1898). He went on to teach chemical engineering at UW from 1895 to 1913. He was one of the first to organize an incorporated labora­tory for industrial research by establishing the Northern Chemical Engineering Laboratories in Madison in 1910. In 1915, the firm was renamed C. F. Bur­gess Laboratories, and became the parent firm for various Burgess enterprises including the Burgess Battery Company. A pioneer in the development of electrochemical engineering, he invented a process for the electrolytic purification of iron, developed a basic process for manufacturing electrolytic iron, invented various iron alloys, demonstrated the suitability of iron alloys for use as permanent magnets and heating elements, and made important contributions to the im­provement of dry-cell batteries.

After moving to Wisconsin in 1842, Jerome Case opened a thresher machine repair shop and began working on his biggest innovation. In 1844, he developed a combination grain thresher and separator, and set up a plant to manufacture these implements. The plant enlarged over the years as demand grew, and in 1863 the J.I. Case Company was organized. The firm became one of the largest manufacturers of agricultural implements in the world and is still producing products in Racine today.

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After serving with the Union Army during the Civil War, Charles Clark conducted a hardware business until 1872 when he entered the paper manufacturing business as one of four partners who organized Kimberly, Clark and Company (now Kimberly­ Clark Corporation). Clark assumed charge of the company’s plant and em­ployees, while John A. Kimberly handled sales and finance. Clark continued supervising the company’s manufacturing activities until his death. His extraordinary ability in organizing and managing the company’s plants was a principal factor in the firm’s success. Apart from his extensive business inter­ ests, Clark was active in public affairs. He was mayor of Neenah (1880-1883) and served in the city council of Neenah (1883-1886), the State Assembly in 1885 and the U. S. House of Representatives (1887-1891).

As a young man, Patrick Cudahy became superintendent of Plankinton and Armour, one of the largest meat packing companies in Milwaukee. He later took over the business with his brother and renamed it Cudahy Brothers. In the 1880’s, Cudahy bought 700 acres of land outside of Milwaukee to build a plant and developed a village bearing his name by allowing workers to purchase lots with deductions from their wages. In the early 1900’s Cudahy Brothers became one of the first packers to sell semi-perishable canned hams and also specialized in sliced dried beef, Italian sausage and sliced bacon. The company – eventually known as Patrick Cudahy – was purchased by Smithfield in 1984.

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David Everest came to Wausau in 1909 to serve as general manager of Marathon Paper Mills Company, which became Marathon Corporation in 1944. He became president of Marathon in 1938, and chairman of the board of directors in 1950. Emphasizing research and development in the paper specialty field in his own company, he also helped develop Masonite fiberboard. A charter member and trustee, he was instru­mental in founding the Institute of Paper Chemistry at Appleton. Everest was president of the American Pulp and Paper Association (1927-1928, 1937-1940), and the Wisconsin Manufacturers’ Association (1937). 

Born near Oslo, Nor­way, Ole Evinrude emigrated when he was five with his parents to a farm near Cambridge, Wisconsin. Evinrude moved to Milwaukee where he opened a pattern making shop. He became interested in gasoline engines and, in 1906, developed his first outboard motor. Evinrude began production of the engines in 1909, but sold the business in 1914. By 1921 he had perfected the design for a light twin-outboard engine and formed the Elto Motor Co. In 1929 the Outboard Motors Corporation was formed with the consolidation of Elto, the Lockwood Motor Company of Jackson, Michigan, and the original Evinrude Motor Company, with Ole Evinrude as president. He held the position until his death. 

Harold Falk was born in Milwau­kee as the son of Louis Wahl Falk and nephew of Herman Wahl Falk, founder of The Falk Corporation. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin (B.S. 1906), he entered The Falk Corporation where he worked in various departments until 1920 when he became vice president and works manager. He served as president of the company from 1940 to 1967. He was director of several other large Wisconsin corporations, including the Employers Mutuals of Wausau, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., The Heil Company, Harnischfeger Corporation, Wisconsin Telephone Company and Wisconsin Electric Power Company. Nationally known for his leadership in apprenticeship training and vocational education, Falk was president of the Milwaukee Voca­tional School Board (1934-1937) and the State Board of Vocational Educa­ tion (1930-1936). He was also affiliated with many educational, professional, tech­nical, and philanthropic organizations.

Throughout his career, Otto Falk served in the armed services, devoting himself to the Wisconsin National Guard, eventually retiring with the rank of Brigadier General. In 1893, Falk organized the Wisconsin Milling Company, one of the largest corn-products mills in the country. He served as president of Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company from 1913 to 1932, and as chairman of the board of directors of that company until his death. His vision is generally regarded as leading to the diversification and expansion which made Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company interna­tionally known in the business world.

Herman Falk’s career began in the brewing industry in Wisconsin, successively working with the Franz Falk Brew­ing Company; Falk, Jung and Borchert Brewing Co.; and the Pabst Brewing Company. In 1892, he left brewing to begin manufacturing work, eventually organizing the Falk Manufacturing Co., to pro­duce street railway materials. Ultimately the company gained world promi­nence for its design and production of special machinery and gears. Falk was president of the company until 1940 and chairman of the board until his death. He was also prominently identified with the growth of many Milwaukee industrial and financial companies.

At fourteen years old, Kurtis Froedtert went to work in the malting business founded by his father, William Froedtert, in 1869. When his father died in 1916, Kurtis Froedtert became head of the business, serving as president and chairman of the board of directors. Under his leadership, the Froedtert Malting Company became one of the largest of its kind in the nation. An expert in real estate planning, he served as a member of the City of Milwaukee Land Commission for seven years. As owner and president of Froedtert Enterprises, Inc., he built shopping centers in Milwaukee and maintained other real estate inter­ests. In 1948 he set up the Froedtert Foundation to give financial assistance to charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities and institutions. His benefactions included the medical schools of Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin. 

A native of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, James Hamilton was a woodworker, and in 1880 at age 28 left his job to manufacture printers wood type under the firm name of J. E. Ham­ilton Hollywood Type Company. This company was the forerunner of the Hamilton Manufacturing Company whose products eventually included equipment for printers and newspaper composing rooms, dental and medical offices, engineering offices, scientific equipment for schools, colleges and industrial laboratories, and home laundry appliances. He was president until his retire­ment in 1920, and Chairman of the Board until his death. He was a co-founder of the Aluminum Manufacturing Company of Two Rivers, which subsequently merged with two other firms making similar products in 1909 to become the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company. In addition to his many philanthropic endeavors, Hamilton was a major stockholder and president of the Bank of Two Rivers for 26 years, and served as mayor of Two Rivers from 1893 to 1895.

Born in Germany, Henry Harnischfeger came to the United States in 1872 and in 1881, moved to Milwaukee, where he became foreman of the milling machine department of the Whitehill Sew­ing Machine Company. With Alonzo Pawling, Harnischfeger co-founded the Pawling & Harnischfeger Company, which developed into one of the largest manufacturers of traveling electric cranes and power excavators. The company became one of the largest producers of welders and electrodes, and also one of the pioneers in prefabricated houses and aluminum diesel engines. In 1911, Pawling sold his interest in the firm to Harnischfeger, and in 1924 the com­pany became the Harnischfeger Corporation, with Harnischfeger as president until his death. 

In 1873, Charles Haskins moved to Milwaukee as general superintendent of the Northwestern Telegraph Company. When the electric telephone was invented, Haskins became interested in the device and conducted numerous tests on hand telephones sent him by Gardiner Hubbard in 1877. In 1879 he became the local representative of the National Bell Telephone Company and organized the Milwaukee Telephone Exchange Company with himself as president. He was the main organizer of its successor, the Wisconsin Telephone Company in 1882, and was its president (1882-1889) and vice president (1889-1892). He also pioneered in the development of telephone exchanges in other parts of the state, obtained many patents, and gained a wide reputation as an author and lecturer on electricity.

Julius Heil came to the United States in 1881 with his parents, who settled in New Ber­lin, Wisconsin. As an employe of The Falk Corporation of Milwaukee, he traveled throughout the country and internationally installing track for street railway systems. Upon returning to Milwaukee in 1901 he founded the Heil Rail Joint Welding Co. This small operation developed into The Heil Company which gained a national reputation as a leading manufac­turer of hydraulic hoists, dump truck bodies, storage and transport tanks for the dairy, chemical and petroleum industries, and a wide range of related equipment for the military. He served as Governor of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1943.

A native of Milwaukee, William Heller began his career as a typesetter and printing press operator for Milwaukee Printing Company, which was founded by his brother Max Heller in 1899. He served as executive vice-president, 1909-1947; president, 1947-1951; chairman of the board, 1951-1959; and Chairman Emeritus until his death. An authority on packaging, he helped revolutionize marketing by pioneering in techniques for printing and fabrication of glassine, aluminum foil, cellophane, and plastic wrappers, bags, and labels. Under his direction, the company gained global recognition in the packaging industry with plants in Wisconsin and other states and affiliates throughout the world. Under Mil­print ownership, Nicolet Paper Corporation of De Pere, Wisconsin, expanded materially to become a leading producer of glassine, greaseproof, and sulphite grades of paper. 

After graduating from Racine College in 1893, Alexander Horlick went to work for Horlicks Food Company, founded by his father, William, and his uncle, James Horlick. Beginning his career as a factory worker in order to learn the business from every angle, he was made vice president in 1904. Upon his father’s death in 1936, he became president of the company, then known as Horlicks Malted Milk Company, and was chairman of the board of directors when control of the firm passed to Horlicks, Ltd., of England, in 1945. He was able to formulate policies which proved to be successful in making “Horlicks Malted Milk” a household term. Horlick was mayor of Racine (1907-1911), and a regent of the University of Wisconsin (1910-1925). He also was active in civic affairs.

William Horlick eft his native England to come to Racine in 1869. His interests were in foods and diets, and he persuaded his brother, James, a chemist, to join him in establishing a cereal company. This was established in 1875. By 1887 the company successfully produced a dried milk combined with an extract of malted barley and wheat, the basis of the world-known “malted milk” of today. This powdered product could be preserved in most climates and world markets developed for the Horlick Malted Milk Company, formed in 1906. 

Born in Devonshire, England, Thomas Jeffery began manufacturing bicycles in Chicago in 1879. After he sold that business in 1899 to American Bicycle Company, he moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin and bought the Sterling Bicycle Company and started manufacturing automobiles. In 1902, he and his son put their first car, the “Rambler,” on the market. In that year, 1,600 Ramblers were built and sold, establishing Jeffery as the world’s second mass-producer of motor cars, second to Ransom E. Olds and a year ahead of Henry Ford.