James Oliver (inventor)
Encyclopedia
James Oliver was an American inventor and industrialist best known for his creation of the South Bend Iron Works, which was reincorporated as the Oliver Farm Equipment Company
after his death. After buying a South Bend, Indiana
foundry with partner Harvey Little in 1855 he began experimenting with improved farm plow designs. Driven by the sales of his popular Oliver Chilled Plow, for which he registered 45 patents during his lifetime, the company grew to become one of the largest in Indiana
and one of the world's largest producers of farm plows during the late 19th Century.
, Scotland
the youngest of the nine children of Mary Irving and George Oliver. His family was Presbyterian and James was taught to read and write in a local church. His father was a shepherd
but found it difficult to earn an income to support his family. An outbreak of cholera
in 1832 killed most of family flock, and George injured his leg the following year making it difficult for him to walk. The family's oldest sons immigrated to the United States
in the following years and prepared a home for the rest of the family to join them in 1835. There the family worked on a farm near Alloway, New York that had been purchased by the sons.
Oliver took a job working on nearby farms performing manual labor and becoming acquainted with field plowing. One of Oliver's sisters married to a pioneer who moved to what would become LaGrange County, Indiana
. In 1836 James and some of his siblings traveling to live with them on their homestead. The family home was near Mishawaka, Indiana
where a large bog provided an abundance of iron
. A number of foundries and iron works were being built in the area and Oliver took a number of jobs working on construction projects. He briefly attended George Merrifield School where furthered his basic education. He took a job at South Bend Blast Furnace Company in 1839 where he first learned how to cast iron.
Oliver married to Susan Catherine on May 30, 1844, the daughter of a fellow laborer. The two bought a log cabin near Mishawaka and lived there for eight months before selling to purchase a new home nearer to town. They purchased a third home in 1852 on a ten acre lot with an orchard.
where he entered into a partnership with two businessmen to operate a foundry. His investment gave him a 25% ownership of the foundry. The company was named the South Bend Iron Works, and Oliver oversaw its operations. The business made a fair income and in 1856 Harvey Little and Oliver bought out the other shares.
Oliver began experimenting with improved field plow. Farm plows of the time were pulled by a draft animal as the farmer walked behind. There were many commons problems with the plows: muddy ground could cause soil to become stuck on the upper edges of plow requiring the farmer to stop and clean the plow before continuing. When large stones were hit a certain speed, they could cause the plows to break or dent them enough to make them unusable. Oliver's designs sought to resolve both of these issues. He created a molded top edge for the plows allowing it to more easily shed mud away and preventing it from lodging in harness. He also developed a method of casting the plows in a sand mold which rapidly cooled the outer surface of the metal, causing it to be more significantly hardened, while allowing the center to cool slowly, preventing the plow from becoming brittle. The resulting plow was significantly stronger, retained its cutting edge much longer, and required less cleaning during plowing.
Oliver received a number of patents on his designs and began selling the new plows in 1857. He only sold fifty during that year, but began to market them and demonstrate them at public events. In 1858 he created a model called the "Indiana Plow". By 1860 he had perfected the design, Model No. 40, and sales quickly grew. In August of that year Little and Oliver sold shares of the company to T. M. Bissell. On December 24 of the same year a fire broke out in the foundry completely destroying the building. The company quickly rebuilt, buoyed by their growing sales. Oliver began working as the companies traveling salesman working out distribution agreements. In 1863 Little left the company which was renamed Oliver and Bissell. Bissell oversaw production, while Oliver concentrated on development. By 1864 the company had grown to employee twenty-five workers and a new investor, George Milburn, was brought in to fund expansion.
Oliver received a new patent in 1868 for large plow that required a team of draft animals to pull. The new plow was significantly superior to all others on the market, leading a massive surge in sales. The same year Clement Studebaker
, an owner of the Studebaker
company made an investment in the business to help it reincorporate and expand. The company's product grew to dominate its competition and produced as many as 300,000 plows a year; by 1878 the company was exclusively producing plows. A number of specialized models were created for different types of soil. Sales spread internationally, and company adopted the slogan "Plowmaker of the World". As popularity grew, so did attempts to steal Oliver's designs. He launched several suits to have imitators and patent violators' businesses shut down.
The company began to have competition from John Deere
and International Harvester
because of Oliver's longtime resistance to producing riding plows, instead focusing only on walk-behind plows. The company remained a leader in farm implements into the twentieth century. Over the years, Oliver was able to purchase all the stock in the business that had been sold to other investors and became the sole owner. The business was a major contributor to growth of South Bend, Indiana and the surrounding area.
s on improved plow designs. He and his company was very successful and the company was worth millions of dollars. Oliver died on March 2, 1908 in his South Bend mansion. After a brief ceremony, he was buried in the Riverview Cemetery. He left the company to his family; his son Joseph D. Oliver had been a leading manager of the company for several years. He took the company public in 1912. The company went on to develop mechanized farm equipment and remained a national farm equipment competitor until 1933 when it went through a series of mergers. Today the company is part of the AGCO Allis conglomerate.
Oliver Farm Equipment Company
The Oliver Farm Equipment Company was an American farm equipment manufacturer from the 20th century. It was formed as a the result of a 1929 merger of four companies: the American Seeding Machine Company of Richmond, Indiana, Oliver Chilled Plow Works of South Bend, Indiana, Hart-Parr Tractor...
after his death. After buying a South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
foundry with partner Harvey Little in 1855 he began experimenting with improved farm plow designs. Driven by the sales of his popular Oliver Chilled Plow, for which he registered 45 patents during his lifetime, the company grew to become one of the largest 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...
and one of the world's largest producers of farm plows during the late 19th Century.
Early life
James Oliver was born August 28, 1823 in LiddesdaleLiddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
the youngest of the nine children of Mary Irving and George Oliver. His family was Presbyterian and James was taught to read and write in a local church. His father was a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
but found it difficult to earn an income to support his family. An outbreak of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in 1832 killed most of family flock, and George injured his leg the following year making it difficult for him to walk. The family's oldest sons immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the following years and prepared a home for the rest of the family to join them in 1835. There the family worked on a farm near Alloway, New York that had been purchased by the sons.
Oliver took a job working on nearby farms performing manual labor and becoming acquainted with field plowing. One of Oliver's sisters married to a pioneer who moved to what would become LaGrange County, Indiana
LaGrange County, Indiana
LaGrange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana and in the Northern Indiana region known as Michiana. As of 2010, the population was 37,128. The county is located about east of South Bend, west of Toledo, Ohio, and northeast of Indianapolis. The area is well known for its large...
. In 1836 James and some of his siblings traveling to live with them on their homestead. The family home was near Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
where a large bog provided an abundance of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
. A number of foundries and iron works were being built in the area and Oliver took a number of jobs working on construction projects. He briefly attended George Merrifield School where furthered his basic education. He took a job at South Bend Blast Furnace Company in 1839 where he first learned how to cast iron.
Oliver married to Susan Catherine on May 30, 1844, the daughter of a fellow laborer. The two bought a log cabin near Mishawaka and lived there for eight months before selling to purchase a new home nearer to town. They purchased a third home in 1852 on a ten acre lot with an orchard.
Business
In 1855 Oliver moved again to South Bend, IndianaSouth Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
where he entered into a partnership with two businessmen to operate a foundry. His investment gave him a 25% ownership of the foundry. The company was named the South Bend Iron Works, and Oliver oversaw its operations. The business made a fair income and in 1856 Harvey Little and Oliver bought out the other shares.
Oliver began experimenting with improved field plow. Farm plows of the time were pulled by a draft animal as the farmer walked behind. There were many commons problems with the plows: muddy ground could cause soil to become stuck on the upper edges of plow requiring the farmer to stop and clean the plow before continuing. When large stones were hit a certain speed, they could cause the plows to break or dent them enough to make them unusable. Oliver's designs sought to resolve both of these issues. He created a molded top edge for the plows allowing it to more easily shed mud away and preventing it from lodging in harness. He also developed a method of casting the plows in a sand mold which rapidly cooled the outer surface of the metal, causing it to be more significantly hardened, while allowing the center to cool slowly, preventing the plow from becoming brittle. The resulting plow was significantly stronger, retained its cutting edge much longer, and required less cleaning during plowing.
Oliver received a number of patents on his designs and began selling the new plows in 1857. He only sold fifty during that year, but began to market them and demonstrate them at public events. In 1858 he created a model called the "Indiana Plow". By 1860 he had perfected the design, Model No. 40, and sales quickly grew. In August of that year Little and Oliver sold shares of the company to T. M. Bissell. On December 24 of the same year a fire broke out in the foundry completely destroying the building. The company quickly rebuilt, buoyed by their growing sales. Oliver began working as the companies traveling salesman working out distribution agreements. In 1863 Little left the company which was renamed Oliver and Bissell. Bissell oversaw production, while Oliver concentrated on development. By 1864 the company had grown to employee twenty-five workers and a new investor, George Milburn, was brought in to fund expansion.
Oliver received a new patent in 1868 for large plow that required a team of draft animals to pull. The new plow was significantly superior to all others on the market, leading a massive surge in sales. The same year Clement Studebaker
Clement Studebaker
Clement Studebaker was an American wagon and carriage manufacturer. With his brother Henry, he co-founded the H & C Studebaker Company, precursor of the Studebaker Corporation, which built Pennsylvania-German Conestoga wagons and carriages during his lifetime, and automobiles after his death, in...
, an owner of the Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
company made an investment in the business to help it reincorporate and expand. The company's product grew to dominate its competition and produced as many as 300,000 plows a year; by 1878 the company was exclusively producing plows. A number of specialized models were created for different types of soil. Sales spread internationally, and company adopted the slogan "Plowmaker of the World". As popularity grew, so did attempts to steal Oliver's designs. He launched several suits to have imitators and patent violators' businesses shut down.
The company began to have competition from John Deere
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
and International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
because of Oliver's longtime resistance to producing riding plows, instead focusing only on walk-behind plows. The company remained a leader in farm implements into the twentieth century. Over the years, Oliver was able to purchase all the stock in the business that had been sold to other investors and became the sole owner. The business was a major contributor to growth of South Bend, Indiana and the surrounding area.
Death and legacy
During his lifetime Oliver registered 45 patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s on improved plow designs. He and his company was very successful and the company was worth millions of dollars. Oliver died on March 2, 1908 in his South Bend mansion. After a brief ceremony, he was buried in the Riverview Cemetery. He left the company to his family; his son Joseph D. Oliver had been a leading manager of the company for several years. He took the company public in 1912. The company went on to develop mechanized farm equipment and remained a national farm equipment competitor until 1933 when it went through a series of mergers. Today the company is part of the AGCO Allis conglomerate.
See also
- Oliver Farm Equipment CompanyOliver Farm Equipment CompanyThe Oliver Farm Equipment Company was an American farm equipment manufacturer from the 20th century. It was formed as a the result of a 1929 merger of four companies: the American Seeding Machine Company of Richmond, Indiana, Oliver Chilled Plow Works of South Bend, Indiana, Hart-Parr Tractor...
- History of South Bend, Indiana