J. E. Hamilton (May 19, 1852 – July 10, 1940) was an American
industrialist
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
who was the founder of the Hamilton Manufacturing Company in Two Rivers, Wisconsin which was the largest manufacturer of
wood type in the United States.
Early life
Hamilton was born in Two Rivers, Wisconsin to Henry Carter Hamilton and Diantha Smith. Decedents on his mother's side include
Samuel Huntington who was a signer of both the
Declaration of Independence and the
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
, and Major David Huntington who was the first gun maker in America and provided weapons for George Washington's army.
Hamilton Manufacturing Company
In 1878, Hamilton was asked by William Nash, the editor of the local ''
Two Rivers Chronicle'', to cut
type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Ty ...
for a poster Nash needed to print. Nash did not have enough time to order new type and knew of Hamilton's skill with a saw. Hamilton used a foot-power
scroll saw to cut the letters, and then mounted them to a
block of wood. The type printed so well that he sent samples to area printers and upon receiving orders formed the J. E. Hamilton Holly Wood Type Company.
As the
Midwestern United States grew in the late 1800s, print shops and
newspapers were established by the new populace. Type made in the
Eastern U.S.
The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...
was too expensive and took too long for delivery for Midwestern printers. Hamilton's location in
Wisconsin and cheaper production methods allowed him to service the new printers by providing a product that was "half the price, in the half the time."
On November 1, 1881, Hamilton took on a partner and sold half of his company to Max Katz and renamed the business Hamilton & Katz. Katz retired from the company in 1887 and the Hamilton Manufacturing Company was incorporated on January 1, 1889 with Hamilton as the majority stock holder. By 1891, the company had a workforce of 200 employees and $500,000 worth of business.
The economic and geographic advantages Hamilton had allowed him to dominate the market and acquire the competition. In 1909, he purchased the Tubbs Manufacturing Company in
Ludington, Michigan which was the last of his major competitors in business.
See also
*
Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum
*
Thermo Fisher Scientific
*
Letterpress printing
*
William Hamilton Page
William Hamilton Page (1829–1909) was a type designer and owner of William Page & Company, a leading manufacturer of wood type for letterpress printing.
Life and career
Page worked as a printer for several newspapers before learning the trade ...
References
External links
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
Hamilton Scientific
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, J. E.
1852 births
1910 deaths
American industrialists
People from Two Rivers, Wisconsin
19th-century American businesspeople