The Ladies' home journal (1948) (14579025377)

Magic Chef, Inc. (formerly the American Stove Company) is an appliance brand currently owned by CNA International Inc.

St. Louis origins

In the 1850s John Ringen, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

to the United States, began a tinshop in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. His business prospered and, in 1870, he took in a partner, George August Kahle, who had immigrated to America from Germany in 1867. The business sold housewares, early

washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...

s, and cooking stoves they called "quick meals". In 1881, George Kahle persuaded his brothers-in-law, Charles and Louis Stockstrom, to set up a shop to manufacture stoves. These four principals then organized two

corporations A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

, the Quick Meal Stove Company and the Ringen Stove Company.

American Stove Company and the Magic Chef brand name

Quick Meal manufactured the stoves, with Ringen Stove handling sales and distribution of the entire output of Quick Meal's production. The phenomenal growth of these two companies during the 1880s and 1890s led to the merger of eight other stove companies in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in 1901 to form the American Stove Company. American Stove introduced the first oven temperature control device in 1914. In 1929 it began using the

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

Magic Chef. The Magic Chef name was so successful as an oven and stove brand that American Stove Company changed its name to Magic Chef, Inc. in 1951.Alternate Link
via

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.Alternate Link
via

. The company remained well known for its

gas stove A gas stove is a stove that is fuelled by combustible gas such as syngas, natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or other flammable gas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuels such as coal or wood. The f ...

s, but attempts to spread the brand to other household appliances were unsuccessful.

Sales and spread

In 1957, it was merged with the Food Giant Markets of California.Alternate Link
via

.Alternate Link
via

. In 1958, it was sold to Dixie Products,Alternate Link
via

.Alternate Link
via

. a small stove company of

Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neigh ...

, after selling off a few underperforming divisions of Magic Chef.Alternate Link
via

. By 1986, the company had become the 249th largest industrial company in the nation, and was sold to

Maytag The Maytag Corporation is an American home and commercial appliance company owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 2006. Company history The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by businessman Frederick Maytag. In 1925, ...

for $740 million. Magic Chef also made home

furnace A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion. Furnace may also refer to: Appliances Buildings * Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings * Boiler, used t ...

s and air conditioners; that operation was sold to

Lennox International Lennox International Inc. is a provider of climate control products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, (in the complex colloquially called: HVAC) and refrigeration markets. The company is based outside Dallas, Texas in the United ...

in 1988.

Whirlpool Corporation The Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. The Fortune 500 company has annual revenue of approximately $21 billion, ...

acquired Maytag Corporation in 2006. Magic Chef has been spun out to CNA International Inc./MC Appliance Corporation, which imports and markets

small appliances A small domestic appliance, also known as a small electric appliance or minor appliance or simply a small appliance, small domestic or small electric, is a portable or semi-portable machine, generally used on table-tops, counter-tops or oth ...

under several brand names.

References

External links

MC Appliance CorporationAmerican Stove Company/Magic Chef in New York-mid 20th centuryCharles Stockstrom's mansion a St. Louis city landmark
{{Home appliance brands Home appliance brands Maytag brands Companies based in St. Louis American companies established in 1901 Electronics companies established in 1901 Products introduced in 1929 1881 establishments in Missouri 1901 establishments in Missouri 1929 establishments in Missouri American brands

St. Louis origins

American Stove Company and the Magic Chef brand name

Sales and spread

See also

References

External links