Homer Laughlin (March 23, 1843 – January 10, 1913) was an American businessman and

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

who, with his brother Shakespeare, formed the Laughlin Pottery Company in 1871 in

Newell, West Virginia Newell is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in northern Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Ohio River. The population was 1,203 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Weirton–Steubenville met ...

.''Press Reference Library : Portraits and Biographies of Progressive Men of the Southwest'' (1912) Los Angeles Examiner

Biography

Homer Laughlin was born in Little Beaver Ohio on March 23, 1843, the son of a miller, merchant and postmaster, Matthew Laughlin (1799–1876),''A History of California and an Extended History of Los Angeles and Environs'' (1915) Historic Record Co., Los Angeles of Scotch-Irish descent, and Maria (''née'' Moore; 1814–1888), Homer Laughlin was educated at public schools and later at Neville Institute (now defunct). He did

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

service from 1862 to 1865. A large part of his service was on detached duty as expert recorder of important military tribunals and he participated in the engagements around

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

.''The National Cyclopædia of American Biography'' Vol. 12 (1918) After he was mustered out of the army, he worked in retail in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

for a while, and later he worked in petroleum development in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

for a year, boring twelve oil wells. He then became a travelling salesman of Rockingham style crockery throughout the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. Homer then moved to New York where he worked with his brother Shakespeare Moore Laughlin as an importer of English

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

. In 1873, they built a pottery in

East Liverpool, Ohio East Liverpool is a city in southeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River within the Upper Ohio Valley and borders Pennsylvania to the east and West Virginia to the ...

, which they ran as Laughlin Brothers until 1879, when Homer bought out Shakespeare. Their crockery became so popular that the company was accused of counterfeiting English trademarks by British manufacturers. In response to this accusation, Laughlin devised an anti-English trademark of a lion supine mounted by a rampant eagle standing on the lion's belly. The company became the largest manufacturer of crockery in the country. Laughlin Pottery then became the

Homer Laughlin China Company The Fiesta Tableware Company (formerly The Homer Laughlin China Company) is a ceramics manufacturer located in Newell, West Virginia, United States. Established in 1871, it is widely known for its Art Deco glazed dinnerware line, Fiesta. In 2002 ...

. In 1889, William Edwin Wells joined Homer Laughlin, and seven years later the two incorporated the company. Laughlin sold his interest to Wells shortly thereafter. The company moved operations across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

land purchased from the Newell family. Laughlin moved to Los Angeles in 1897, where he developed the

Homer Laughlin Building The Homer Laughlin Building, at 317 South Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, is a landmark building best known for its ground floor tenant the Grand Central Market, the city's largest and oldest public market that sees 2 million visitors a year ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, the first fire-proof office building in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. It was also the first reinforced concrete building erected in Southern California. Laughlin was an intimate friend of President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

for over thirty years and presided over the reception committee when McKinley visited Los Angeles. Laughlin was president of the U.S. Potters' Association for many years. He was a member of the Republican Club of New York, the California Club, Los Angeles, the Allegheny Commandery No. 35,

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, and an honorary life member of the Girvan Encampment of Glasgow, Knights Templar of Scotland. The Homer Laughlin China Co. moved all operations to

, in 1907. Operations continue in that location today.

Family

On June 18, 1875 Laughlin married Cornelia Battenberg (1846-1907) at

Wellsville, Ohio Wellsville is a village in southern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. Its population was 3,113 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Salem micropolitan area, north of Steubenville and south of Youngstown. In its hey ...

. They had three children, Homer, Jr., Nanette (1883-1891) and Gwendolyn (1886-May 19, 1942).There are a number of varying spellings of the children's names in publications of that time from Ohio and California. Gwendolyn lived in Los Angeles from the age of 10 when her parents retired there. They bought a large mansion, now demolished, at 666 West Adams Boulevard. At one time Gwendolyn was on the board of directors of

Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children's hospital in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles, on Sunset Boulevard at the corner of Vermont Avenue. The hospital has been academically affi ...

. Homer Laughlin Jr. attended

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, where he married Ada Edwards, a

physical culture Physical culture, also known as Body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US. Origins The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...

instructor, in the university chapel. Homer Laughlin died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on January 10, 1913 after an operation for

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

. He is interred in

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed est ...

Notes

References

External links

Homer Laughlin Residence in Los Angeles
* ttp://socalarchhistory.blogspot.com/2015/12/irving-gill-homer-laughlin-and.html Irving Gill, Homer Laughlin and the Beginnings of Modern Architecture in Los Angeles, Part II, 1911-1916 {{DEFAULTSORT:Laughlin, Homer 1843 births 1913 deaths American potters People from Columbiana County, Ohio People from Hancock County, West Virginia