Alfred Carlton Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Alfred Carlton Gilbert (February 13, 1884 – January 24, 1961) was an American
inventor, athlete, toy
-maker and businessman. Born in Salem, Oregon
and died in Boston, Massachusetts, Gilbert is best known as the inventor of the Erector Set
.
and attended Pacific University
in nearby Forest Grove, Oregon
. While attending Pacific University, Gilbert was a brother of the Gamma Sigma Fraternity. He left Pacific after 1902 and transferred to Yale University
. Gilbert financed his education
at Yale University by working as a magician, earning a degree in sports medicine
. An accomplished athlete, he broke the world record for consecutive chin-up
s (39) in 1900 and distance record for running long dive in 1902. He invented the pole vault box and set two world records in the pole vault
including a record for 12' 3" (3.66 meters) at the Spring meet of the Irish American Athletic Club
, held at Celtic Park, Queens, New York, in 1906. He tied for gold with fellow American Edward Cook at the 1908 Summer Olympics
in London
for pole vaulting. That same year he married Mary Thompson, whom he had met at Pacific University
. They had three children: two girls and a boy.
. Gilbert invented the Erector Set
, a popular construction toy, in 1913. His inspiration was steel construction girders being used on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. In 1918, with the United States embroiled in World War I
and the Council of National Defense
considering a ban on toy production, Gilbert argued successfully against it. The press gave him the nickname "The man who saved Christmas
."
By 1935, he had sold more than 30 million of the sets. He also added chemistry set
s, microscope
sets, and other educational toys to his product line, accumulating more than 150 patents during his 50-year career. In 1938, he acquired the rights to the American Flyer
toy train line from W. O. Coleman and moved their production from Chicago to New Haven. At the same time, he adopted a 3/16 scale for this train line while keeping the three-rail O-gauge track now associated with Lionel. Following World War II, O-gauge track was abandoned in favor of two-rail S-gauge track. Gilbert was lauded for his strict adherence to scale realism, making American Flyer trains look more real and less toylike.
Gilbert is also credited with originating the concept of providing benefits for his employees
, co-founded the Toy Manufacturers of America organization and was its first president.
Frustrated that invention was an important part of American society but not taught in schools, in 1941 Gilbert opened the Gilbert Hall of Science in New York City
, an early science and technology museum. It served the dual purpose of promoting interest in science and selling Gilbert's products.
In 1950–1951 he sold the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory
.
. It went out of business six years later.
A museum in Gilbert's birthplace of Salem, Oregon, A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village
, is named in his honor. The museum comprises several historic structures, including the house of Gilbert's uncle Andrew T. Gilbert. It opened in 1989. A biography titled The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made was published in 2002.
The television movie The Man Who Saved Christmas
is a dramatization of Christmas during the years 1917 and 1918 when America was involved in World War I
. He was portrayed by Jason Alexander
. The film takes several historical liberties. It debuted December 15, 2002.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor, athlete, toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
-maker and businessman. Born in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
and died in Boston, Massachusetts, Gilbert is best known as the inventor of the Erector Set
Erector Set
Erector Set is the trade name of a toy construction set that is popular in the United States.It consists of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, and small electric motors.The brand name is currently used for...
.
Early life
Gilbert was educated at the Tualatin AcademyTualatin Academy
Tualatin Academy was a secondary school in the U.S. state of Oregon that eventually became Pacific University. Tualatin Academy also refers to the National Register of Historic Places-listed college building constructed in 1850 to house the academy, also known as Old College Hall...
and attended Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
in nearby Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
. While attending Pacific University, Gilbert was a brother of the Gamma Sigma Fraternity. He left Pacific after 1902 and transferred to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Gilbert financed his education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
at Yale University by working as a magician, earning a degree in sports medicine
Sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...
. An accomplished athlete, he broke the world record for consecutive chin-up
Chin-up
The chin-up is a strength training exercise. The verb chinning means to do them. People frequently do this exercise with the intention of strengthening muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and biceps, which extend the shoulder and flex the elbow, respectively.It is a form of pull-up in which the...
s (39) in 1900 and distance record for running long dive in 1902. He invented the pole vault box and set two world records in the pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
including a record for 12' 3" (3.66 meters) at the Spring meet of the Irish American Athletic Club
Irish American Athletic Club
The Irish American Athletic Club was an amateur athletic organization, based in Queens, New York at the beginning of the 20th Century.-Early years:...
, held at Celtic Park, Queens, New York, in 1906. He tied for gold with fellow American Edward Cook at the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for pole vaulting. That same year he married Mary Thompson, whom he had met at Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
. They had three children: two girls and a boy.
Career
Choosing not to pursue a medical career, Gilbert co-founded a company manufacturing magic sets in 1909. This company would later become the A. C. Gilbert CompanyA. C. Gilbert Company
The A. C. Gilbert Company was an American toy company, once one of the largest toy companies in the world. It is best known for introducing the Erector Set to the marketplace....
. Gilbert invented the Erector Set
Erector Set
Erector Set is the trade name of a toy construction set that is popular in the United States.It consists of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, and small electric motors.The brand name is currently used for...
, a popular construction toy, in 1913. His inspiration was steel construction girders being used on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. In 1918, with the United States embroiled in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Council of National Defense
Council of National Defense
The Council of National Defense was a United States organization formed during World War I to coordinate resources and industry in support of the war effort, including the coordination of transportation, industrial and farm production, financial support for the war, and public...
considering a ban on toy production, Gilbert argued successfully against it. The press gave him the nickname "The man who saved Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
."
By 1935, he had sold more than 30 million of the sets. He also added chemistry set
Chemistry set
A chemistry set is an educational toy allowing the user to perform simple chemistry experiments. The best known such sets were produced by the A. C. Gilbert Company, an early and middle 20th century American manufacturer of educational toys...
s, microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
sets, and other educational toys to his product line, accumulating more than 150 patents during his 50-year career. In 1938, he acquired the rights to the American Flyer
American Flyer
American Flyer was a popular brand of toy train and model railroad in the United States in the middle part of the 20th century.- The Chicago era, 1907–1938 :...
toy train line from W. O. Coleman and moved their production from Chicago to New Haven. At the same time, he adopted a 3/16 scale for this train line while keeping the three-rail O-gauge track now associated with Lionel. Following World War II, O-gauge track was abandoned in favor of two-rail S-gauge track. Gilbert was lauded for his strict adherence to scale realism, making American Flyer trains look more real and less toylike.
Gilbert is also credited with originating the concept of providing benefits for his employees
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
, co-founded the Toy Manufacturers of America organization and was its first president.
Frustrated that invention was an important part of American society but not taught in schools, in 1941 Gilbert opened the Gilbert Hall of Science in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, an early science and technology museum. It served the dual purpose of promoting interest in science and selling Gilbert's products.
In 1950–1951 he sold the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory
Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory
The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab is a toy lab set produced by Alfred Carlton Gilbert and sold between 1950 and 1951.The set originally sold for $49.50 and contained the following:* Geiger-Müller counter* Electroscope...
.
Later years
Upon his retirement in 1954, Gilbert turned his company over to his son. The same year, he published his autobiography, titled The Man Who Lives in Paradise. After his death in 1961, the family sold its remaining shares in the A. C. Gilbert Company to Jack WratherJack Wrather
John Devereaux "Jack" Wrather, Jr. , was a petroleum millionaire who became a television producer and later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties...
. It went out of business six years later.
A museum in Gilbert's birthplace of Salem, Oregon, A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village
A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village
The A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village is an interactive children's museum located in Salem, Oregon, United States. This hands-on museum was named in honor of American inventor Alfred Carlton Gilbert and displays several of his inventions, most notably the Erector Set. In fact, the Village is home...
, is named in his honor. The museum comprises several historic structures, including the house of Gilbert's uncle Andrew T. Gilbert. It opened in 1989. A biography titled The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made was published in 2002.
The television movie The Man Who Saved Christmas
The Man Who Saved Christmas (film)
The Man Who Saved Christmas is a film based on the true story about the efforts of toymaker Alfred Carlton Gilbert of the A. C. Gilbert Company to continue making toys during World War I. First broadcast on CBS television in 2002, it was released on DVD in 2008, by Echo Bridge Home...
is a dramatization of Christmas during the years 1917 and 1918 when America was involved in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was portrayed by Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
. The film takes several historical liberties. It debuted December 15, 2002.