Henry R. Towne
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Henry Robinson Towne (August 24, 1844 – October 15, 1924) was an American
mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
and businessman, known as an early systematizer of management. He donated over 2 million dollars to philanthropy at his death, in 1924.


Biography

Towne was born in Philadelphia in 1844 to John Henry and Maria (Tevis) T. Towne. He attended the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
from 1861 to 1862, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall, but did not complete a degree. The university later awarded him an honorary master's degree.


Early career

Following his year of college, Towne found work as a draftsman at the Port Richmond
Iron Works An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloomer ...
, which was owned by I. P. Morris, Towne & Co. In 1863, Towne was put in charge of repair work for the union gunboat ''
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''. During 1864-1866, Towne was placed in charge of erecting engines in monitors for the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. After the war, Towne went to Paris and studied physics at the
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. When he returned, he found employment with the firm of William Sellers & Co., in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
.


Yale Lock Manufacturing

In the summer of 1868, Henry R. Towne was introduced to Linus Yale Jr. by a mutual friend. Towne was, by this time, looking for a new
business opportunity A business opportunity (or bizopp) involves sale or lease of any product, service, equipment, etc. that will enable the purchaser-licensee to begin a business. The licensor or seller of a business opportunity usually declares that it will secure ...
and had become impressed about the possibilities of Yale's new "cylinder" lock. In October 1868, the two men formed the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, to be located in Stamford, Connecticut. Towne provided new capital and management of the firm, and Yale the invention.Henry R. Towne, ''Locks and builders hardware, a hand book for architects'' (New York:
John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, ...
, 1904), 68-69. (for abstract, se
Stamford Historical Society
Yale died later in 1868, and Towne reorganized the company as Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. Towne stepped down as chairman in 1915. Within this time-frame he developed the Towne-Halsey plan. According to F.W. Taylor and mentioned in his book Scientific Management "it consists in recording the quickest time in which a job has been done, and fixing this as a standard. If the workman succeeds in doing the job in a shorter time, he is still paid his same wages per hour for the time he works on the job, and in addition is given a premium for having worked faster, consisting of from one-quarter to one-half the difference between the wages earned and the wages originally paid when the job was done in standard time."


Later years

Towne was one of the first engineers to see management as a new social role for engineers and that the development of management techniques was important for the development of the engineering profession. He laid out his ideas about the management role for the engineer in his "The Engineer as Economist." He was elected
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the
ASME The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...
in 1888, and his presidential address continued to address how to improve shop and worker efficiency (see "Gain-Sharing"). Towne and Link-Belt president James Mapes Dodge were responsible for maneuvering
Frederick Winslow Taylor Frederick Winslow Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer. He was widely known for his methods to improve industrial efficiency. He was one of the first management consultants. In 1909, Taylor summed up ...
to the Presidency of the ASME in 1906 (Noble, ABD, 269-270).


Death

Henry R. Towne died in New York City on October 15, 1924. His wife Cora E. White, whom he had married in 1868, died in 1917. In his will, Towne bequeathed over two million dollars to the establishment of the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in Manhattan.


Selected publications

* Towne, Henry Robinson. ''Locks and Builders Hardware: A Hand Book for Architects.'' J. Wiley & Sons, 1904. * Towne, Henry R. "Foreword to Shop Management." Frederick Taylor, ''Scientific Management:'' 5-6. 1911. Articles, a selection: * Towne, Henry R.
A Drawing Office System
" ''Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers'' 5 (1884): 193-205. * Towne, Henry R.
Engineer as an Economist
" ''Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers'' 7 (1886), 425ff. * Towne, Henry R.
Gain-Sharing
" ''Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers'' 10 (1889), 600ff. * Towne, Henry R. "President's Address, 1889." ''Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers'' 11 (1889): 50-71. * Towne, Henry R. "Industrial engineering." Ingeniería Industrial), discurso pronunciado en la Universidad de Purdue el 24 (1905). * Towne, Henry Robinson. "Axioms Concerning Manufacturing Costs." ''Trans. A SM E'' 34 (1912). * Towne, Henry R.
The General Principles of Organization Applied to an Individual Manufacturing Establishment
" ''Transactions'', Efficiency Society Incorporated. v.1 1912, p. 77-83


Patents

* 1897
US patents 575016
- Frictional controlling device for screw hoist. * 1898
US patents 29786
- design for a key


References


External links


Biographical Sketch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towne, Henry R. 1844 births 1924 deaths American business theorists American mechanical engineers Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers University of Pennsylvania alumni People from Philadelphia