John Jeppson (1844–1920) was a 20th-century Swedish-American industrialist. Jeppson was a founder and Chief Engineer of the Norton Emery Wheel Company (now Norton Abrasives) of

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 ...

Life

Jeppson was born on July 1, 1844 in Höganäs,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. Jeppson’s father was a carpenter and several of his ancestors were mechanics. Jeppson went to school in his birthplace, but at the age of 12 went to work in a

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

and brick factory. At the age of 16 Jeppson learned how to manufacture architectural

ornament An ornament is something used for decoration. Ornament may also refer to: Decoration * Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts * Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve ...

s. He worked in the pottery and brick factory until the age of 24. In 1868, around the age of 25, he decided to try his luck to America. When he arrived in America he gained employment with Norton in Worcester, MA, which at this time only produced pottery. Jeppson became very skilled at his profession and earned the highest salaries. In 1873 Jeppson managed to produce an artificial emery grinding stone. He continued his experiments and in 1885 the Norton Emery Wheel Company was created with Jeppson as one of the founders. Jeppson became the company’s first plant manager. Jeppson then went on to become the Chief Engineer of the Norton Emery Wheel Company. He maintained this position until his death. At the time of Jeppson’s death in 1920, Norton Company had twelve employees and two ovens. After subsequent expansion, the company operated multiple ovens and a complex consisting of some 50 buildings in Worcester. The company also opened up factories in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In 1990 Norton Abrasives was purchased by

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris and headquartered on the outskirts of Paris, at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a mirror manufacturer, it now also produces a variety o ...

, a French -based multinational corporation.

Personal life

In 1916, Jeppson became a Knight First Class of the Royal Order of Vasa as appointed by the

King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...

. John Jeppson died during 1920 and was buried in the Old Swedish Cemetery at Worcester, Massachusetts. John Jeppson married Thilda Ahlstrom (1847-1925). Their son George Nathaniel Jeppson (1873–1962) and grandson John Jeppson II (1916-2013) would continue the family legacy at Norton, both serving as president and CEO.

John Jeppson Award

The John Jeppson Award which originated in 1958 is one of the most prestigious awards given by the American Ceramic Society. The award recognizes distinguished scientific, technical, or engineering achievements in ceramics.

References

Other sources

*Charles W. Cheape (1985
''Family firm to modern multinational: Norton Company, a New England enterprise''"> ''Family firm to modern multinational: Norton Company, a New England enterprise''
"Harvard Studies in Business History. Volume 36" (Harvard University Press) *John F. McClymer and Charles W. Estus Sr. (1994) ''Ga till Amerika : The Swedish Creation of an Ethnic Identity for Worcester, Massachusetts'' (Worcester Historical Museum) *Eric J. Salomonsson (2015) ''Swedish Heritage of Greater Worcester'' (The History Press)

External links

Norton , Saint-Gobain Abrasives websiteJohn Jeppson portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeppson, John 1920 deaths 1844 births People from Höganäs Municipality People from Skåne County Businesspeople from Worcester, Massachusetts 20th-century Swedish engineers Swedish emigrants to the United States Knights First Class of the Order of Vasa Recipients of the Order of Vasa