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The Torsion Balance Company
The Torsion Balance Company was preceded by the Springer Torsion
Balance Company, whose Certificate of Incorporation was filed
on September 7, 1897. The purposes of that corporation were
to "acquire the ownership of patents on scales, balances, automatic
discharging meters, and other instruments of precision and to
manufacture and sell such articles.” Five years later,
The Torsion Balance Company was organized under the laws of
the State of New York by filing a Certificate of Incorporation
on January 7, 1902.
History
The Corporation had its principal place of business at 92 Reade
Street, New York, NY, and a plant in Jersey City, NJ until May
of 1949 when both the New York office and the Jersey City plant
were moved to New Jersey as part of a new factory which was
erected in Clifton.
The company has continuously
manufactured and sold Torsion Balances. The principal markets
for the Torsion Balances were retail druggists, who used them
in compounding prescriptions, and users who needed a precision
weighing device that could be used under the adverse conditions
that would quickly ruin balances with knife edges or friction
bearing. On February 8, 1915, The Torsion Balance Company
bought the business being carried on under the name of Christian
Becker which was engaged in the manufacture and sale of analytical
balances. This purchase included the right to use of the trade
name "Christian Becker". The acquisition of Christian Becker
offered an opportunity for the introduction of the Torsion
Balance into laboratories as a balance less sensitive and
less expensive than the analytical balance, but one for which
there was a need. Over the succeeding years, the sales volume
on Torsion Balances for this purpose was built up until it
was second only to the drug market which was the best market
for the Torsion Balance. Additional markets for the Torsion
Balance were found in the dairy industry, where the balance
was used to determine the butter-fat content of milk, and
in the textile industry.
After the acquisition of the
business of Christian Becker, The Torsion Balance Company
formed a New York Corporation called Christian Becker Incorporated
by filing a certificate dated February 18, 1915. Its directors
were Harold H. Fries, William Clark Symington, and Robert
B. Symington, who were also its original, stockholders; the
company was located at 92 Reade Street, New York City. This
corporation remained in existence until the year 1943 when
it was dissolved in the manner later described, and thereupon
became a division of The Torsion Balance Company.
Shortly after the dissolution
of Christian Becker Incorporated, The Torsion Balance Company
on May 9, 1944 registered the name "Christian Becker" as a
trade-mark with the United States Patent Office and had the
exclusive right to that mark until May 9, 1964. Harold H.
Fries died on June 29, 1946 and his shares were ultimately
registered in the name of Wills and Company as nominee.
Upon the death of Harold H. Fries,
it was found there was no one suitable to act as directing
head. The attorney for the estate, Walter D. Fletcher, was
designated as President of The Torsion Balance Company as
an interim measure until a new directing head could be found.
In the intervening months, this effort went on, and on December
13, 1946, Charles E. Donovan was made Vice President and active
directing head of the Company. He was elected President of
the Company on November 12, 1947.
At the meeting of the Board of
Directors on December 13, 1946, it was decided the Company
would undergo a complete modernization. In the course of this
modernization a new plant was erected, the three principal
lines of balances were redesigned to be more acceptable in
the market, new machinery was acquired, new tooling and new
sales policies were adopted, new accounting procedures were
installed, and practically a new organization was created.
Who is Christian Becker?
Christopher Becker came to New York from Arnheim, Holland in
1836, leaving his two sons Jule and Henry in Holland. With his
other sons Christian and Ernest, he established an observatory
at 54 Columbia Street in Brooklyn where he manufactured nautical
and astronomical instruments.
In 1854 Professor J. Renevick
of Columbia College asked Christopher to manufacture an analytical
balance to supplement several British and German ones he already
had. The result was good, and Becker and Sons was founded
for the purpose of manufacturing balances and weights. Christian
and Ernest were the “Sons” of Becker and Sons.
In 1861, possibly to get away from the Civil War, the family
returned to Holland and manufactured balances in Antwerp.
It is likely the other two brothers Jule and Henry participated
in this venture and gained their knowledge of balances in
this way. When the Civil War ended (1865), Christopher, Christian,
and Ernest returned to the United States and established a
new factory in Hudson City, New Jersey. Jule and Henry established
Becker and Sons, Rotterdam and H. L. Becker, Fila, Brussels.
Whether there were originally two joint ventures is not clear,
but Jule is predominately associated with the Rotterdam Company
and Henry with the Brussels firm.
Christopher moved from Hudson
City, NJ to Newark, NJ in 1874 to New Rochelle, NY. In 1884
the sons left Christopher and founded their own business as
Becker Bros. Christopher continued his business as Christopher
Becker but apparently died soon afterwards.
In 1892 Ernest died, and the
name was changed to Christian Becker. The company was bought
by The Torsion Balance Company.
In 1915 Christian's two sons,
Christopher and Frank, continued to be associated with The
Torsion Balance Company. Christoper died in 1949 and Frank
in 1956.
Christopher (Sr.) is credited
by the 9th Edition of Brittanica with the invention of plane
bearings.
Christopher (Jr.) held the patent
on the chainomatic device (1915) and received the Franklin
Medal for this development.
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