The Wadsworth Electric Manufacturing Company was formed by George B. and Harry Wadsworth in 1904. George received his first

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

for an electrical service entrance safety switch in 1907. This device reduced the likelihood of accident or fire and enabled homeowners to replace their own

fuses Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protec ...

. He received an additional 15 patents in the field between 1907 and 1925. Harry Wadsworth left the business in 1910.

Expansion

The company incorporated in 1918 and moved from an address on Madison Avenue to a Pike Street address. By 1922, the company had grown to 100 employees and $1.5 million in sales. That year, the company announced the construction of a new building on 11th Street,

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, lies to its immediate north across the Ohio and Newport, to its east across the Licking ...

. The building was completed in March 1923. In 1925, George Wadsworth sold his rights to 16 patents to a

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

company and resigned from Wadsworth Electrical Manufacturing. David Wadsworth, George's brother, was appointed vice president and chief engineer in 1927 and continued George's record of innovation until his death in 1937.

Personnel

Joseph Feltman, a local banker, was president of the company at the time of David Wadsworth's death. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, Leo Kuhlman who continued as president until 1981. The company was apparently successful during this period with employment reaching 300 during the 1950s. Products included breaker boxes, fuses, wiring ducts, power outlets and other electrical devices.

Closure

Kuhlman was succeeded by his sons, John and Joseph, who ran the company until it was

liquidated Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistr ...

in December 1990.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Kenton County, Kentucky Buildings and structures in Covington, Kentucky Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Electrical wiring and construction supplies manufacturers Electrical safety Industrial buildings completed in 1923 Companies established in 1904 Defunct manufacturing companies based in Kentucky