George F. Johnson
Encyclopedia
George Francis Johnson (1857–1948) was an American businessman.
on October 14, 1857 to Francis A. Johnson and Sarah Jane (Aldrich) Johnson. His siblings were Oscar, C. Fred Johnson, Harry L., and Charlotte. In 1881, after 10 years of experience in the shoe and boot-making factories in his home state, he was hired as the supervisor of a work crew in a section of a shoe factory in Binghamton, New York
. Nine years later he became superintendent of that company’s new plant, which was located in the community of Lestershire, New York, and said to be the largest factory of its kind in the entire world.
, employing about 10,000. Endicott-Johnson was the first company in the shoe industry to introduce the 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek, and comprehensive medical care. Despite paying some of the highest wages in the industry, Endicott-Johnson was consistently profitable.
Although Johnson oversaw many different factories throughout the Susquehanna Valley of Broome County, he attracted many immigrant workers to the area by offering to build homes. Although the name Johnson was given to the city in NY where George F. arrived, the city of Endicott better reflects his intimate vision for a prosperous community. This is because Johnson himself developed nearly all of the residential neighborhoods in Endicott, selling houses to the workers at a cost to himself of $1000 each.
Until he died in 1948, Johnson saw to it that Endicott-Johnson employees received a range of benefits that were not typically offered by most employers at the time. The company also created parks (containing swimming pool
s and carousel
s that anyone could ride for free), medical facilities, restaurants, libraries, and recreational facilities—all designed to provide high quality goods and services to the employees for free or at a low cost.
The Square Deal Towns of Endicott & Johnson City have set the precedent of eager industrial labor habits for Broome County. The humming EJ factories and neighborhoods were the origins of International Business Machines. Endicott and Johnson City were where George F. Johnson revolutionized the pay system and improved relationships between capital and labor.
Here is a quote from George F.: "To know in the morning that your compensation is fixed; to know that you must do the same thing all day long, to know that whether you do a little more or a little less, whether you are more or less interested and more or less efficient, your pay is automatically fixed-creates the most deadly monotony that I can believe possible". Here he describes what was then called the piece worker system, whereas Professor Melvyn Dubovsky calls Johnson's ethic "welfare capitalism".
The community of Lestershire was renamed Johnson City, New York
in 1916 in honor of Johnson, and Endicott-Johnson workers built two arches over the area’s main road in the early ’20s, one at the entrance to Johnson City and the other in Endicott, New York
stating that they were the gateways to the "Square Deal Towns". Endicott-Johnson would become the largest manufacturer of footwear in the United States, employing 24,000 workers at its peak.
, the Endicott-Johnson shoe factories made every pair of military boots, which equipped U.S. soldiers. On 16 October 1916, George F. Johnson announced the mandate of a 40 hour work week, which became the American Standard. This rule took effect for EJ-factory workers on November 1, 1916.
Early life
George Francis Johnson was born in Milford, MassachusettsMilford, Massachusetts
Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It had a population of 27,999 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Milford, constituting the center of the town, please see the article Milford ,...
on October 14, 1857 to Francis A. Johnson and Sarah Jane (Aldrich) Johnson. His siblings were Oscar, C. Fred Johnson, Harry L., and Charlotte. In 1881, after 10 years of experience in the shoe and boot-making factories in his home state, he was hired as the supervisor of a work crew in a section of a shoe factory in Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
. Nine years later he became superintendent of that company’s new plant, which was located in the community of Lestershire, New York, and said to be the largest factory of its kind in the entire world.
Endicott-Johnson Co. & The Square Deal
In 1899, Johnson became co-owner of the business, which was renamed the Endicott-Johnson Co. Under his presidency, the company grew to eight factories in Broome County, New YorkBroome County, New York
Broome County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 200,600. It was named in honor of John Broome, who was lieutenant governor in 1806 when Broome County was established. Its county seat is Binghamton, which is also its major city. The current...
, employing about 10,000. Endicott-Johnson was the first company in the shoe industry to introduce the 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek, and comprehensive medical care. Despite paying some of the highest wages in the industry, Endicott-Johnson was consistently profitable.
Although Johnson oversaw many different factories throughout the Susquehanna Valley of Broome County, he attracted many immigrant workers to the area by offering to build homes. Although the name Johnson was given to the city in NY where George F. arrived, the city of Endicott better reflects his intimate vision for a prosperous community. This is because Johnson himself developed nearly all of the residential neighborhoods in Endicott, selling houses to the workers at a cost to himself of $1000 each.
Until he died in 1948, Johnson saw to it that Endicott-Johnson employees received a range of benefits that were not typically offered by most employers at the time. The company also created parks (containing swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
s and carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
s that anyone could ride for free), medical facilities, restaurants, libraries, and recreational facilities—all designed to provide high quality goods and services to the employees for free or at a low cost.
The Square Deal Towns of Endicott & Johnson City have set the precedent of eager industrial labor habits for Broome County. The humming EJ factories and neighborhoods were the origins of International Business Machines. Endicott and Johnson City were where George F. Johnson revolutionized the pay system and improved relationships between capital and labor.
Here is a quote from George F.: "To know in the morning that your compensation is fixed; to know that you must do the same thing all day long, to know that whether you do a little more or a little less, whether you are more or less interested and more or less efficient, your pay is automatically fixed-creates the most deadly monotony that I can believe possible". Here he describes what was then called the piece worker system, whereas Professor Melvyn Dubovsky calls Johnson's ethic "welfare capitalism".
The community of Lestershire was renamed Johnson City, New York
Johnson City, New York
Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,535 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in 1916 in honor of Johnson, and Endicott-Johnson workers built two arches over the area’s main road in the early ’20s, one at the entrance to Johnson City and the other in Endicott, New York
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
stating that they were the gateways to the "Square Deal Towns". Endicott-Johnson would become the largest manufacturer of footwear in the United States, employing 24,000 workers at its peak.
Working Time
During World War IWorld 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...
, the Endicott-Johnson shoe factories made every pair of military boots, which equipped U.S. soldiers. On 16 October 1916, George F. Johnson announced the mandate of a 40 hour work week, which became the American Standard. This rule took effect for EJ-factory workers on November 1, 1916.
Legacy
George F. Johnson Elementary School, built in 2000, was named after him. It is part of the Union-Endicott Central School District. It is the second Union-Endicott elementary school to be named after him. The first was located in West Endicott. Johnson died on November 29, 1948 in Endicott, NY.Further reading
- William Inglis, George Johnson and His Industrial Democracy (Copyright 1935 by Huntington Press, Inc.) - a glorified version of the company's history sponsored by the company.
- Partner's All, subtitled A pictorial narrative of an Industrial Democracy (Copyright 1938 by Huntington Corporation) - a glorified version of the company's history sponsored by the company and characterized on the frontispiece as A souvenir gift to the E.J. Workers from George F. Johnson.
- Gerald Zahavi, Workers, Managers, and Welfare Capitalism: The Shoemakers and Tanners of Endicott Johnson, 1890-1950. (Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1988).
- The following document -- "Report of Meeting of Edge Trimmers—is an HTML copy of a typescript found in box 19, George F. Johnson Papers, George Arents Research Library for Special Collections, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. It is a transcription of conversations that took place during a meeting held between George F. Johnson and a group of the firm's edge trimmers who had begun to organize. The meeting was held on September 1, 1927. http://www.albany.edu/history/history316/ej_trimmers.html.
- The Legacy Of George F. Johnson And The Square Deal. NPR (transcript), December 1, 2010. http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=131725100 Accessed 02 December 2010.