George F. Morrison
Encyclopedia
George Francis Morrison (1867–1943), was an American
business executive, industrialist, Edison Pioneer, and a Director and Vice President of General Electric Company.
. His father William Morrison was born in County Clare, Ireland and worked as a teamster
. His mother Susan Maguire was also from Ireland. The Morrisons initially settled in Harrison, New Jersey
after their immigration and it was there where George's three older sisters Elizabeth, Mary Ann, and Margaret were born. William moved the family to the Wellsville area sometime before George was born, due probably to the perceived fortunes promised by the nascent crude oil industry in western New York. After ten years and the marriages of Mary Ann and Elizabeth, the Morrisons returned to Harrison.
s that arrived from the Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York
so that they could be reused in packaging finished lamps. He was paid one and two-thirds cents per hour, equating to only one dollar per week if he worked sixty hours. He continued to perform other basic tasks at the plant but did them very well, which did not go unnoticed and created opportunities for advancement. Morrison was soon after promoted to foreman of a small department, then foreman of a larger department, then the largest department, until he became the general foremen of the plant. He was promoted again to Plant Superintendent and then became the General Manager by 1903. In January 1917, Morrison was elected Vice President of General Electric Company (GE) and in February 1918 he became one of the original members of the Association of Edison Pioneers
Several innovations during this time, such as the development of tungsten
filaments, allowed brighter and longer-lasting bulbs, with production steadily increasing through the years. Morrison was instrumental in the expansion of GE's lamp business and took a leading role in establishing strong relationships with other lamp manufacturers, both domestically and abroad, which ultimately led to standardization within the industry. He was known for having good judgement and being able to see both sides of an issue and arrive to accurate conclusions. He never made an enemy throughout his career and became close personal friends with all of his business associates. It was his strong character and vibrant personality that afforded him such success in fostering quality relationships. In fact, his work in Japan
was so beneficial to the lamp industry that the emperor
placed upon him the Order of the Rising Sun
.
Morrison ensured the management and enforcement of GE's patents and traveled the world looking after the company's foreign interests. In addition to Japan, he visited China
, England
, and France
on a number of occasions, and also sought permission from the United States Government in 1918 to visit Vladivostok, Russia, but was denied. On April 28, 1926 Morrison wrote to Gerard Swope
, president of GE at the time, to bring attention to the early expiration of three vital patents covering the tungsten lamp, upon which GE's market share
virtually completely rested. Morrison went on to acknowledge that cross-patent licensing agreements with Westinghouse
, GE's largest lamp manufacturing competitor, was essential to prevent other competitors from gaining share of General Electric's markets.
Morrison was also the chairman of the board of directors of the Sprague Electric Company
and a director of the Intertype Corporation
. He served on the board of directors of both General Electric and International General Electric from 1922 to 1942 and was honorary
Vice President at the time of his death in 1943.
Morrison was the uncle of western film legend George "Gabby" Hayes, the son of his older sister Elizabeth Morrison and Clark Hayes.
Morrison's daughter Georgina was the second wife of William C. Krueger, president of Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company
and son of its founder, Gottfried Krueger.
Morrison died on October 21, 1943 in his home in East Orange, New Jersey
at the age of 76.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
business executive, industrialist, Edison Pioneer, and a Director and Vice President of General Electric Company.
Early life
George Francis Morrison was born on February 22, 1867 in Wellsville, New YorkWellsville, New York
Wellsville, New York is a village and a town in Allegany County, New York, USA.*Wellsville , New York*Wellsville , New York----For other places with this name, see Wellsville....
. His father William Morrison was born in County Clare, Ireland and worked as a teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
. His mother Susan Maguire was also from Ireland. The Morrisons initially settled in Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 13,620. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey.-Geography:Harrison is located at ....
after their immigration and it was there where George's three older sisters Elizabeth, Mary Ann, and Margaret were born. William moved the family to the Wellsville area sometime before George was born, due probably to the perceived fortunes promised by the nascent crude oil industry in western New York. After ten years and the marriages of Mary Ann and Elizabeth, the Morrisons returned to Harrison.
Career
Morrison began his career in the summer of 1882 at Edison Lamp Works in Harrison when he was 15 years old. He was hired to unwrap and smooth tissue paper from incandescent light bulbIncandescent light bulb
The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
s that arrived from the Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York
Corning, New York
Corning, New York is the name of two places in Steuben County, New York, although it most frequently means the City of Corning.*Corning , New York*Corning , New York, adjacent to the city...
so that they could be reused in packaging finished lamps. He was paid one and two-thirds cents per hour, equating to only one dollar per week if he worked sixty hours. He continued to perform other basic tasks at the plant but did them very well, which did not go unnoticed and created opportunities for advancement. Morrison was soon after promoted to foreman of a small department, then foreman of a larger department, then the largest department, until he became the general foremen of the plant. He was promoted again to Plant Superintendent and then became the General Manager by 1903. In January 1917, Morrison was elected Vice President of General Electric Company (GE) and in February 1918 he became one of the original members of the Association of Edison Pioneers
Edison Pioneers
The Edison Pioneers was a group of former employees and other associates of Thomas Edison.On February 11, 1918, the Edison Pioneers met for the first time, on the 71st birthday of Edison...
Several innovations during this time, such as the development of tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
filaments, allowed brighter and longer-lasting bulbs, with production steadily increasing through the years. Morrison was instrumental in the expansion of GE's lamp business and took a leading role in establishing strong relationships with other lamp manufacturers, both domestically and abroad, which ultimately led to standardization within the industry. He was known for having good judgement and being able to see both sides of an issue and arrive to accurate conclusions. He never made an enemy throughout his career and became close personal friends with all of his business associates. It was his strong character and vibrant personality that afforded him such success in fostering quality relationships. In fact, his work in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
was so beneficial to the lamp industry that the emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
placed upon him the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
.
Morrison ensured the management and enforcement of GE's patents and traveled the world looking after the company's foreign interests. In addition to Japan, he visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on a number of occasions, and also sought permission from the United States Government in 1918 to visit Vladivostok, Russia, but was denied. On April 28, 1926 Morrison wrote to Gerard Swope
Gerard Swope
Gerard Swope was a U.S. electronics businessman. He served as the president of General Electric Company between 1922 and 1939, and again from 1942 until 1944...
, president of GE at the time, to bring attention to the early expiration of three vital patents covering the tungsten lamp, upon which GE's market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
virtually completely rested. Morrison went on to acknowledge that cross-patent licensing agreements with Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
, GE's largest lamp manufacturing competitor, was essential to prevent other competitors from gaining share of General Electric's markets.
Morrison was also the chairman of the board of directors of the Sprague Electric Company
Frank J. Sprague
Frank Julian Sprague was an American naval officer and inventor who contributed to the development of the electric motor, electric railways, and electric elevators...
and a director of the Intertype Corporation
Intertype Corporation
The Intertype Corporation produced the Intertype, a typecasting machine closely resembling the Linotype, and using the same matrices as the Linotype...
. He served on the board of directors of both General Electric and International General Electric from 1922 to 1942 and was honorary
Honorary
An honorary position is an unpaid position. Other uses include:* honorary title — awarded as a mark of distinction** honorary citizenship — awarded to aliens who have rendered service to the state...
Vice President at the time of his death in 1943.
Family
George and his wife Jennie had seven children, Blanche, Jennie, Flora, Beatrice, Georgina, George Jr., and Franklin. He assisted his brother-in-law John Graves, his sister Mary Ann's husband, in obtaining a trucking license in New Jersey after moving to Harrison from Wellsville. Graves eventually built a trucking business called Graves Trucking that maintained a number of large accounts, including that of RCA Corporation. George also did his best to secure jobs for his unemployed family members during the Great Depression. In one instance, he found his niece Dorothy Graves O'Brien a job at the Edison Lamp Works carrying trays of light bulbs from one work station to another.Morrison was the uncle of western film legend George "Gabby" Hayes, the son of his older sister Elizabeth Morrison and Clark Hayes.
Morrison's daughter Georgina was the second wife of William C. Krueger, president of Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company
Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company
The Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company was a brewery in Newark, New Jersey founded by Gottfried Krueger and John Laible in 1858.The company produced Krueger Beer, which was the first beer to be produced in cans on January 24, 1935....
and son of its founder, Gottfried Krueger.
Morrison died on October 21, 1943 in his home in East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
at the age of 76.
External links
- Thomas A. Edison Visits Steinmetz 1922 Part 1, Youtube.com