![Hammer the Hammer Iver Johnson Revolvers](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Hammer_the_Hammer_Iver_Johnson_Revolvers.jpg)
Iver Johnson was an American
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s,
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
, and
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
manufacturer from 1871 to 1993. The company shared the same name as its founder, Norwegian-born Iver Johnson (1841–1895).
The name was resold, and Iver Johnson Arms opened in 2006, but since it does not manufacture parts or provide information relating to the pre-1993 company, it represents a continuation of it in name only.
Iver Johnson
![Iver Johnson revolvers](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Iver_Johnson_revolvers.jpg)
Iver Johnson was born in 1841
[Massachusetts deaths, 1841-1915, Familysearch, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NW7D-6LF] in
Nordfjord
Nordfjord ( en, Northern fjord—in contrast to Sunnfjord) is a traditional district of Norway.
Geography
The region is located in the northern part of Vestland county in Western Norway. It centers on the Nordfjorden and it comprises the muni ...
,
Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...
county, Norway.
[National Archives and Records Administration, 1872 October 30, ''Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906'', serial M1299, roll 79.] He was educated as a
gunsmith
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very h ...
in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
in 1857, and had a gun store in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. Johnson emigrated from Norway to
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, United States in 1863, and continued his work as a gunsmith by trade and an inventor in his spare time. Seeking new and creative uses for his partially idle manufacturing equipment after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, he worked not only gunsmithing locally in
Fitchburg, but also providing designs and work to other firearms companies; notably making
pepper-box pistols for
Allen & Wheelock.
On April 9, 1868, Johnson married Mary Elizabeth (, born January 1847) in Worcester;
[National Archives and Records Administration, 1870, August 18. ''1870 U.S. census, population schedules: Worcester Ward 4, Worcester, Massachusetts'', roll M593_658: p. 223B: image 483: lines 13-20.][National Archives and Records Administration, 1880, June 8. ''1880 U.S. census, population schedules: Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts'', roll 567: p. 122D: enumeration district 884: image 0542: lines 22-27.][National Archives and Records Administration, 1900, June 6. ''1900 U.S. census, population schedules: Fitchburg Ward 2, Worcester, Massachusetts'', roll T623_691: p. 9A: enumeration district: 1609: lines 13-14 & 20-23.][National Archives and Records Administration, 1910, April 25. ''1910 U.S. census, population schedules: Fitchburg Ward 2, Worcester, Massachusetts'', roll T624_628: p. 10A: enumeration district 1728: image: 158: lines 70-76.] and the couple had three sons, Frederick Iver, John Lovell and Walter Olof, and two daughters, Mary Louise and Nellie.
Johnson Bye & Company
In 1871, Johnson merged his and Martin Bye's gunsmithing operations to form the Johnson Bye & Company. Beginning in 1876, Johnson and Bye filed jointly for, and received, multiple new firearms features and firearms feature improvement patents. Their primary revenues came from the sale of their self designed and manufactured inexpensive models of revolvers.
The company's name changed to Iver Johnson & Company in 1883, upon Johnson's purchase of Bye's interest, but Bye continued working in the firearm industry for the remainder of his life.
Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works
The company's name changed again to Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works in 1891, when the company relocated to
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private e ...
, (sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Fitzburg") in order to have better and larger manufacturing facilities. The company attracted a number of talented immigrant machinists and designers to its ranks, including
O.F. Mossberg and Andrew Fyrberg, who would go on to invent the company's top-latching strap mechanism and the ''Hammer-the-Hammer'' transfer bar safety system used on the company's popular line of top-break safety revolvers.
[
Iver Johnson died of tuberculosis in 1895,] and his sons took over the business. Frederick Iver, (born 10/2/1871),[National Archives and Records Administration, 1902, May 27. ''Passport Applications, 1795–1905: Suffolk County, Massachusetts'', roll M1372, application #57156.] John Lovell (born 6/26/1876),[National Archives and Records Administration, 1904, January 18. ''Passport Applications, 1795–1905: Suffolk County, Massachusetts'', roll M1372, application #81238.][National Archives and Records Administration, 1918, September 12. ''United States, Selective Service System, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918: Fitchburg, Worcester, Massachusetts'', roll 1685193.] and Walter Olof (born August 1878), each had vastly different levels of involvement in the company ranging from executive leadership to barely any involvement at all. They shepherded the company through a phase of expansion, as bicycle operations grew, then converted to motorcycle manufacturing and sales. They also saw the growth of the firearms business and the eventual restructuring of the company to focus on firearms and related business as they divested non-firearms concerns, such as the motorcycle business, in the face of growing firearms demand, World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
's armaments industry expansion, and other factors. As family ownership waned and outside investment via publicly traded stock and mergers/acquisitions/partnerships took hold, the company changed ownership and moved several times during its operation.
The company eventually dropped "Cycle Works" from its name when that part of the business was shut down. The business successfully weathered the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
(in part thanks to higher rates of armed robbery, which helped maintain demand for personal firearms) and was buoyed by the dramatic increase in the market for arms leading up to and during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
After World War II, the company's introduction of new firearms slowed to a trickle. Increasingly, company fortunes depended upon sales of its increasingly outmoded revolvers and single-barrel shotguns. Without new research and development, most firearms changes were limited to cosmetic updates of existing designs.
As a result of changes in ownership, the company had the first of two major relocations in 1971 when it moved to New Jersey. It moved again to Jacksonville, Arkansas
Jacksonville is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States, and a suburb of Little Rock. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 28,364. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock– Conway Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
, and was jointly owned by Lynn Lloyd and Lou Imperato, who also owned the Henry brand name, before it finally ceased trading under its own name in 1993, at which time it was owned by American Military Arms Corporation
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
(AMAC).
Iver Johnson firearm models
Iver Johnson nomenclature refers to its top-break revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
s as Safety Automatics. The term "Safety Automatic" refers to Iver Johnson's ''Hammer-the-Hammer'' transfer bar safety system ("safety") and the automatic ejection of cartridges upon breaking open the revolvers ("automatic").
Lovell Swift Hammer & Hammerless
This model was made from 1890-1894 by Iver Johnson and distributed by John P. Lovell Arms Company of Boston, Massachusetts. It was a double action 5-shot revolver in caliber .38 S&W. It had a nickel finish and was the first Iver Johnson to use the owl's head logo on the grips. In appearance, the Swift model resembles the Safety Automatic Revolver that was introduced in 1894. Some differences include the latch for unlocking the frame pulls down rather than up, the ejector is different, and the Swift model does not have the "hammer the hammer action" of later models. The gun fired a .38 S&W black powder cartridge, and is not safe to shoot with modern smokeless powder cartridges. The hammerless model differed from the hammer model in that it did not have an external hammer protruding from the gun, and it had the addition of a manual safety on the trigger. This feature required the user to place a finger squarely on the trigger to fire the gun. It has the word "Swift" engraved on the top of the gun, and the serial number is stamped under the left grip panel.
Safety automatic
Standard models with external hammer:
* First Model (1894–1895), single post latch system
* Second Model (1896–1908), double post latch system
* Third Model (1909–1941), double post latch system, adapted for smokeless powder
Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to a ...
Safety automatic hammerless
* First Model (1895–1896), single post latch
* Second Model (1897–1908), safety lever added to face of trigger
* Third Model (a.k.a. "New Model") (1909–1941), no safety lever on trigger, adapted for smokeless powder
Assassinations
William McKinley assassination
On September 6, 1901, American steelworker and anarchist Leon Czolgosz
Leon Frank Czolgosz ( , ; May 5, 1873 – October 29, 1901) was an American laborer and anarchist who assassinated President William McKinley on September 6, 1901, in Buffalo, New York. The president died on September 14 after his wound became ...
shot President William McKinley at the Temple of Music
The Temple of Music was a concert hall and auditorium built for the Pan-American Exposition which was held in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, New York (state), New York in 1901. President of the United States, United States President William McKinley ...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, with an Iver Johnson .32 caliber .32 caliber is a size of ammunition, fitted to firearms with a bore diameter of .
.32 in caliber variations include:
* .32 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), a pistol cartridge
* .32-40 Ballard, an American rifle cartridge
* .32 H&R Magnum, a rimmed ...
Safety Automatic revolver (serial number A18915). McKinley died nearly eight days later, at 2:15 am on the 14th of September. The revolver is currently on display at the Buffalo History Museum
The Buffalo History Museum (founded as the Buffalo Historical Society, and later named the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) is located at 1 Museum Court (formerly 25 Nottingham Court) in Buffalo, New York, just east of Elmwood Avenue and ...
in Buffalo.
Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted assassination
In 1933, Giuseppe Zangara
Giuseppe Zangara (September 7, 1900 – March 20, 1933) was an Italian immigrant and naturalized United States citizen who attempted to assassinate the President-elect of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on February 15, 1933, 17 d ...
shot and killed Chicago mayor Anton Cermak
Anton Joseph Cermak ( cs, Antonín Josef Čermák, ; May 9, 1873 – March 6, 1933) was an American politician who served as the 44th mayor of Chicago, Illinois from April 7, 1931 until his death on March 6, 1933. He was killed by an assassin, ...
at a political event in Miami, in an apparent attempt to assassinate president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
. Zangara was using a .32 revolver by the United States Revolver Company, a subsidiary of Iver Johnson.
Robert Kennedy assassination
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
ian Sirhan Sirhan
Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (; ar, سرحان بشارة سرحان ''Sirḥān Bišāra Sirḥān'', born March 19, 1944) is a Palestinian Jordanian man who was convicted for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
Kennedy, a United States Sena ...
assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
Presidential candidate United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
with an eight-shot Iver Johnson Cadet 55-A revolver chambered in .22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smo ...
, (serial number H-53725, Trial-People's Exhibit #6, misidentified in trial testimony as S/N H-18602) at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, on June 5, 1968; Kennedy died the following day at Good Samaritan Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital or Good Samaritan Medical Center may refer to:
India
*Good Samaritan Hospital (Panamattom), Koprakalam, Panamattom, Kerala
*Good Samaritan Centre, Mutholath Nagar, Cherpunkal, Kottyam, Kerala
United States
*Banner - Univer ...
. The revolver, as well as the official police files, reports, interviews, ballistics reports, bullet fragments, and other important evidence related to Kennedy's assassination, is currently housed in the California State Archives in Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
.
Bicycles
Iver Johnson bicycles are classic examples of early American bicycles, and during the bicycle boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the company had a very productive bicycle manufacturing and sales line of business. Today, Iver Johnsons are considered to be "classics" by vintage bicycle collectors, and are considered to be especially pleasing from an aesthetic point of view. O.F. Mossberg worked in the bicycle plant and then started his own firearms factory.
Even when they were new, I-J's were marketed and had a reputation for being very graceful looking, well built, and engineered for performance. Iver Johnson sponsored the career of bicycle racing champion Major Taylor
Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor (November 26, 1878 – June 21, 1932) was an African-American professional cyclist. Even by modern cycling standards, Taylor could be considered the greatest American sprinter of all time.
He was born and raised ...
beginning in 1900. The most noted I-J model was the truss-bridge frame which featured a curved tube under the top tube to strengthen the frame for use on the rough roads of the early twentieth century. Bicycle production ceased in 1940 with the buildup of arms production prior to World War II.
Today, Iver Johnson bicycles are highly collectible, well sought after, and relatively rare compared to most other major manufacturer's products from that time. An Iver Johnson bicycle is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in the ''America on the Move'' exhibit.
Motorcycles
Launched in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1907, The Iver Johnson Company motorcycle division was born from the conversion of a line of business that had been manufacturing bicycles for some 23 years prior to that point. Ultimately, the arms division of the business was growing so rapidly to meet demand that management decided to focus on that market and as a result motorcycle operations closed in 1916 (varying sources claim the last year as being 1915, with 1916 seeing only the sales of remaining 1915 produced inventory), bringing to an end 33 years of total cycle operations (23 for bicycles, and another 10 for motorcycle and run-off bicycle business).
According to Roland Brown's ''History of the Motorcycle'', Iver Johnson advertised their machines as "Mechanical Perfection", a boast that was not entirely unbelievable given the number of advanced design features in especially their later models, such as dual crankshafts, nickel-alloy machined parts, chain drive, and a hand-operated three-speed gearbox. Among collectors and researchers who have the benefit of hindsight, Iver-Johnsons, such as the 1915 Model 15-7, along with Scotts
Scotts or Scott's may refer to:
Businesses and brands
*Scott's (restaurant), in London
*Scott's Food & Pharmacy, an American supermarket chain
*Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, an American multinational corporation
*Scott's Porage Oats, a Scottish bre ...
, are the finest examples of motorcycle engineering of that era.
End of Iver Johnson and revival of name
In 2006, the name was reused as Iver Johnson Arms Incorporated in Florida as a manufacturer and importer of firearms (from other manufacturers based in Philippines, Turkey and Belgium), including 1911-style semi-automatic pistols unrelated to the old Iver Johnson lines. The new firm was renamed from Squires Bingham International, originally founded in 1973.
References
Other sources
*Goforth, W.E. ''Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works Firearms 1871-1993'' (Gun Show Books Publishing. 2006)
*Thomas, H. H. ''The Story of Allen & Wheelock Firearms'' (Pioneer Press, Incorporated. 1991)
External links
Iver Johnson firearms
- ''armscollectors.com''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Iver
Manufacturing companies established in 1871
Firearm manufacturers of the United States
Motorcycle manufacturers of the United States
Defunct firearms manufacturers
Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1993
Privately held companies based in Arkansas
1871 establishments in Massachusetts
1993 disestablishments in Arkansas
Defunct manufacturing companies based in Arkansas