The foundation's first gift of $12,500 was made to Milwaukee's Community Fund, predecessor of the United Way. The Lynde Bradley Foundation, a charitable trust, was established with Lynde Bradley's assets. By 1937, Allen-Bradley employment had rebounded to pre-Depression levels and company sales reached an all-time high of nearly $4 million.įollowing the death of Lynde Bradley in 1942, Harry Bradley became company president and Fred Loock was promoted to vice president. Throughout this period, Lynde Bradley supported an aggressive research and development approach intended to "develop the company out of the Depression." Lynde Bradley's R&D strategy was successful. Eventually, the company bought back all stock at six percent interest. To lessen the financial burden, Lynde and Harry Bradley implemented a unique program: the company replaced employees’ lost wages with preferred stock. Amid growing economic pressure, Allen-Bradley reduced its workforce from 800 to 550 and cut wages by 50 percent. The decade closed with record company sales of $3 million.īy 1932, the Great Depression had taken its toll and the company posted record losses. By the middle of this decade, nearly 50 percent of the company's sales were attributed to the radio department. In 1918 Allen-Bradley hired its first female factory worker, Julia Bizewski Polczynski, who was promoted to foreman the following year.ĭuring the 1920s, the company grew its miniature rheostat business to support the burgeoning radio industry. Harry Bradley was appointed vice president and attorney Louis Quarles was named corporate secretary. Upon co-founder Stanton Allen's death in 1916, Lynde Bradley became president. In 1914, Fred Loock established the company's first sales office in New York. Its product line grew to include automatic starters and switches, circuit breakers, relays and other electric equipment. Īllen-Bradley expanded rapidly during World War I in response to government-contracted work. In 1909, the company was renamed the Allen-Bradley Company.
The crane controller was demonstrated at the St. The company's first patented product was a carbon disc compression-type motor controller for industrial cranes. In 1904, 19-year-old Harry Bradley joined his brother in the business. Stanton Allen with an initial investment of $1000. Rockwell Automation traces its origins to 1903 and the formation of the Compression Rheostat Company, founded by Lynde Bradley and Dr. ( October 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources.