Clement O. Miniger
Encyclopedia
Clement O. Miniger was an American
industrialist and philanthropist. He founded the 'Electric Auto-Lite Company' (now part of Honeywell
) in 1911, acting as the company's president until 1934 and its chairman of the board from 1934 to 1944.
, Pennsylvania
, in November 1874, to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel O. Miniger. He had a brother, Charles, and a sister, Anna. The family moved to Arcadia, Ohio
, when he was a small boy, where his father built a handle factory. The Miniger family later moved to Fostoria, Ohio
, where Samuel Miniger owned a livery stable and later a roller rink
. "C.O.," as his friend called him, was educated in the Fostoria public schools.
He quit high school in 1890 before graduation, however, and entered a pharmacy training school in Chicago
, Illinois
. He quit school after two years and moved to Toledo, Ohio
, becoming a traveling salesman for a wholesale drug company. In 1902 Miniger abandoned the pharmaceutical industry and purchased several coal mines near Cambridge, Ohio
. He left coal mining in 1905 and purchased a paper manufacturing plant.
s were carbide lamp
s powered by acetylene
gas. Two men in Indiana
had patented an electric headlamp which Miniger believed would replace gas-powered lamps on automobilies. Mininger purchased the patent rights to this new electric headlight in 1911. Moving back to Toledo, he formed the Auto-liter Company.
Within a year, the Auto-liter Company employed nearly 1,000 people. The company's first headquarters were in a storefront on Michigan Street, but the firm's sudden growth caused it to move quickly to a new location near the Cherry Street bridge.
In typical Miniger fashion, Miniger soon got out of the automotive industry. John Willys
had arrived in Toledo in 1909 after acquiring the failing Marion Car Company of Toledo. He merged it with the Overland Company, which he had purchased in 1907, and formed a new automobile manufacturer, Willys-Overland
. In 1914, Miniger sold Auto-liter to Willys. But Willys-Overland went bankrupt
in 1918, and Miniger bought his company back. Miniger assisted Willys in regaining control of Willys-Overland from the Chrysler Corporation in 1921.
Back in control of Auto-liter, Miniger quickly expanded into other automotive product lines, including electric starters, ignition system
s, and batteries. Calling his company Electric Auto-lite, in 1927 Miniger gained a controlling interest in the National Lead Battery Company, Prest-O-Lite Battery Company, and Prest-O-Lite, Ltd. (located in Toronto
, Canada
). Battery manufacturing plants were established in seven U.S. states and in Canada. A foreign division was established and batteries manufactured in six overseas locations. Miniger bought out another headlamp company in 1934 and formed the Brown Lamp Division in Cincinnati, Ohio
. The same year, he purchased outright the Starting and Lighting Division of the American Bosch Magneto Company
. Late in 1934, Electric Auto-lite merged with Moto-Meter
Gauge and Equipment Company and expanded into industrial gauges and thermometers, molded plastic parts, speedometers, oil pressure gauges, gasoline gauges, heat indicators and ammeters.
Miniger's financial situation suffered a strong reversal during the Great Depression
. Heavily invested in banking and real estate, he lost $5 million in 1931 alone. But Miniger recovered, and built or owned a number of important buildings in the city, including Hillcrest, the Bell building, and the B.R. Baker building. He also became one of Toledo's most prominent philanthropists. He was a strong supporter of the Boys' Club of Toledo, Toledo YMCA, St. Vincent's Hospital, the Episcopal Church.
Miniger was a strong anti-unionist
, and his beliefs led to a major strike against the company in 1934 which led to national headlines. From April 12 to June 3, 1934, a major strike
by a federal labor union
of the American Federation of Labor
(AFL) led to a five-day running battle between roughly 6,000 strikers and 1,300 members of the Ohio National Guard
. Known as the "Battle of Toledo," the clash left two strikers dead and more than 200 injured. Miniger was so alarmed by the violence that he ringed his home with a cordon of armed guards. The strike is regarded by many labor historians as one of the three most important strikes in U.S. history. The strike led to the creation of the Toledo Industrial Peace Board. Now called the Labor-Management-Citizens Committee, the Industrial Peace Board became a national model for strike resolution in the post-World War II
period.
.
Despite his lack of day-to-day control over the firm, Miniger nonetheless continued to play a vital role in the company. He pushed for Electric Auto-lite to continue its expansion into additional automotive fields. Miniger helped structure the company's purchase of Alemite Die Casting in 1935, and later forced it to expand into the manufacture of radiator grilles, door handles, and assorted automotive hardware. The company purchased a bumper plant, hub cap plant, and spring cover plant the following year at his insistence, and built its first spark plug
plant in 1936.
Clement O. Miniger died at his suburban Toledo home on April 23, 1944.
His will established the Clement O. Miniger Memorial Foundation, which still exists in 2009. The Clement O. Miniger Radiation Oncology Center at the Medical College of Ohio is named for him.
Clement O. Miniger was inducted into the Toledo Hall of Fame in 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist and philanthropist. He founded the 'Electric Auto-Lite Company' (now part of Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
) in 1911, acting as the company's president until 1934 and its chairman of the board from 1934 to 1944.
Early life
Clement O. Miniger was born in North EastNorth East, Pennsylvania
North East is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Erie. Fruit growing was an early economic endeavor, and is still to this day, as this is a popular area for especially cherries and grapes. There is an annual Cherry Festival in the summer and an annual in the fall. It contains...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in November 1874, to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel O. Miniger. He had a brother, Charles, and a sister, Anna. The family moved to Arcadia, Ohio
Arcadia, Ohio
Arcadia is a village in Hancock County, Ohio, United States. The population was 537 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, when he was a small boy, where his father built a handle factory. The Miniger family later moved to Fostoria, Ohio
Fostoria, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,931 people, 5,565 households, and 3,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,917.6 people per square mile . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of 829.2 per square mile...
, where Samuel Miniger owned a livery stable and later a roller rink
Roller rink
A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...
. "C.O.," as his friend called him, was educated in the Fostoria public schools.
He quit high school in 1890 before graduation, however, and entered a pharmacy training school in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He quit school after two years and moved to Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, becoming a traveling salesman for a wholesale drug company. In 1902 Miniger abandoned the pharmaceutical industry and purchased several coal mines near Cambridge, Ohio
Cambridge, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,520 people, 4,924 households, and 2,954 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,055.1 people per square mile . There were 5,585 housing units of an average density of 996.3 per square mile...
. He left coal mining in 1905 and purchased a paper manufacturing plant.
Electric Auto-Lite
Miniger entered the automotive industry in 1911. At the time, automobile headlampHeadlamp
A headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by...
s were carbide lamp
Carbide lamp
Carbide lamps, properly known as acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide with water....
s powered by acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
gas. Two men in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
had patented an electric headlamp which Miniger believed would replace gas-powered lamps on automobilies. Mininger purchased the patent rights to this new electric headlight in 1911. Moving back to Toledo, he formed the Auto-liter Company.
Within a year, the Auto-liter Company employed nearly 1,000 people. The company's first headquarters were in a storefront on Michigan Street, but the firm's sudden growth caused it to move quickly to a new location near the Cherry Street bridge.
In typical Miniger fashion, Miniger soon got out of the automotive industry. John Willys
John Willys
John North Willys was an American automotive pioneer and statesman.Born in Canandaigua, New York, as a young man he began selling bicycles in his hometown and within a few years eventually expanded into manufacturing his own line of bicycles...
had arrived in Toledo in 1909 after acquiring the failing Marion Car Company of Toledo. He merged it with the Overland Company, which he had purchased in 1907, and formed a new automobile manufacturer, Willys-Overland
Willys
Willys was the brand name used by Willys-Overland Motors, an American automobile company best known for its design and production of military Jeeps and civilian versions during the 20th century.-Early History:In 1908, John Willys bought the Overland Automotive Division of Standard Wheel Company...
. In 1914, Miniger sold Auto-liter to Willys. But Willys-Overland went bankrupt
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 1918, and Miniger bought his company back. Miniger assisted Willys in regaining control of Willys-Overland from the Chrysler Corporation in 1921.
Back in control of Auto-liter, Miniger quickly expanded into other automotive product lines, including electric starters, ignition system
Ignition system
An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel-air mixture. Ignition systems are well known in the field of internal combustion engines such as those used in petrol engines used to power the majority of motor vehicles, but they are also used in many other applications such as in oil-fired and...
s, and batteries. Calling his company Electric Auto-lite, in 1927 Miniger gained a controlling interest in the National Lead Battery Company, Prest-O-Lite Battery Company, and Prest-O-Lite, Ltd. (located in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
). Battery manufacturing plants were established in seven U.S. states and in Canada. A foreign division was established and batteries manufactured in six overseas locations. Miniger bought out another headlamp company in 1934 and formed the Brown Lamp Division in Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The same year, he purchased outright the Starting and Lighting Division of the American Bosch Magneto Company
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
. Late in 1934, Electric Auto-lite merged with Moto-Meter
Motometer
Motometer is a brand, known for measuring and displaying instruments for workshops and vehicle equipment. The originally independent company was founded at the beginning of the 20th century in the area of Stuttgart...
Gauge and Equipment Company and expanded into industrial gauges and thermometers, molded plastic parts, speedometers, oil pressure gauges, gasoline gauges, heat indicators and ammeters.
Miniger's financial situation suffered a strong reversal during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Heavily invested in banking and real estate, he lost $5 million in 1931 alone. But Miniger recovered, and built or owned a number of important buildings in the city, including Hillcrest, the Bell building, and the B.R. Baker building. He also became one of Toledo's most prominent philanthropists. He was a strong supporter of the Boys' Club of Toledo, Toledo YMCA, St. Vincent's Hospital, the Episcopal Church.
Miniger was a strong anti-unionist
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, and his beliefs led to a major strike against the company in 1934 which led to national headlines. From April 12 to June 3, 1934, a major strike
Auto-Lite strike
The Toledo Auto-Lite strike was a strike by a federal labor union of the American Federation of Labor against the Electric Auto-Lite company of Toledo, Ohio, from April 12 to June 3, 1934....
by a federal labor union
Directly Affiliated Local Union
A Directly Affiliated Local Union is a U.S. labor union that belongs to the AFL-CIO but is not a national union and is not entitled to the same rights and privileges within the Federation as national affiliates.Legally, the AFL-CIO is the parent union of the DALU, and the AFL-CIO is responsible...
of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL) led to a five-day running battle between roughly 6,000 strikers and 1,300 members of the Ohio National Guard
Ohio National Guard
The Ohio National Guard comprises:* Ohio Army National Guard* Ohio Air National Guard-External links:* compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History...
. Known as the "Battle of Toledo," the clash left two strikers dead and more than 200 injured. Miniger was so alarmed by the violence that he ringed his home with a cordon of armed guards. The strike is regarded by many labor historians as one of the three most important strikes in U.S. history. The strike led to the creation of the Toledo Industrial Peace Board. Now called the Labor-Management-Citizens Committee, the Industrial Peace Board became a national model for strike resolution in the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period.
Forced retirement
The strike led to Miniger's loss of control over the company. In late August 1934, Royce G. Martin was appointed president of Electric Auto-Lite, and Miniger became chairman of the company's board of directorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
.
Despite his lack of day-to-day control over the firm, Miniger nonetheless continued to play a vital role in the company. He pushed for Electric Auto-lite to continue its expansion into additional automotive fields. Miniger helped structure the company's purchase of Alemite Die Casting in 1935, and later forced it to expand into the manufacture of radiator grilles, door handles, and assorted automotive hardware. The company purchased a bumper plant, hub cap plant, and spring cover plant the following year at his insistence, and built its first spark plug
Spark plug
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
plant in 1936.
Clement O. Miniger died at his suburban Toledo home on April 23, 1944.
Posthumous philanthropy
Miniger's first wife, Eleanor, preceded him in death, and he soon remarried. In his will, Miniger bequeathed more than $1 million to his second wife, Edna, and his daughter, Eleanor.His will established the Clement O. Miniger Memorial Foundation, which still exists in 2009. The Clement O. Miniger Radiation Oncology Center at the Medical College of Ohio is named for him.
Clement O. Miniger was inducted into the Toledo Hall of Fame in 2007.