The SCM Story

  

 

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Corona Typewriter Company, Inc.

In 1909, Ben Conger, state Senator from Groton, N.Y., was intrigued with a light six-pound typewriter called “The Standard Folding Type-Bar Visible Writing Typewriter.” He found that Frank Rose and his son George had invented it and that the Rose Typewriter Company in New York City was manufacturing it in small quantities. Senator Conger and two friends bought the patents and manufacturing rights and formed the Standard Typewriter Company. Late in 1909 they moved all the tools and machinery from New York City to Groton, New York.

Model #2 was put on the market in 1910, and Theodore Roosevelt took one with him on a big game hunting trip to Africa. As further improvements were made, the name “Corona” was selected for the machine, because it was derived from a Latin word meaning crown and implying leadership. The company name was changed to Corona Typewriter Company in 1914. The Corona portable has retained sales leadership through the entire history of portable typewriters.


Corona Merger

In 1926 just twenty-three years after the original company was founded by the Smith Brothers, a merger took place with the Corona Typewriter Company, and L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriters Inc., was formed. The merger brought together the two industry leaders. Corona led in portable sale, while L.C. Smith was first in office typewriter sales.

Purchase of Miller-Bryant-Pierce Company

Two years later, the Company purchased the Miller-Bryant-Pierce Company of Aurora, Illinois. Miller-Bryant-Pierce had been founded in 1896 to produce the best possible inked ribbon and carbon sheet for every specific writing requirement. The Miller Line caught the favorable attention of the business world and developed improved writing ribbons and carbon papers, pacing its development with that of the typewriter.

World War II

The sale of all typewriters was frozen by the War Production Board in 1942. At the request of the Government, the Company donated the services of it sales force to assist in purchasing much-needed used typewriters for the Government. In October 1942, the Government terminated the production of typewriters by all major companies.

During World War II, Smith-Corona converted to war production. At the peak production the Syracuse plant turned out approximately 23,000 U.S. Smith-Corona rifles per month. In addition to this, time was also found to process over sixty-four million parts for bombs, pistols, machine guns, navy guns, torpedoes, and various instruments. The Groton plant also received war contracts from the Government to produce classified and secret equipment for the Army Signal Corps and the Navy.

Because of L.C. Smith & Corona’s important contributions to the war effort, the Groton plant was honored with the famous Army-Navy “E.” The Syracuse plant received a special commendation from the Army Ordinance Department.

Kleinschmidt Acquisition

In August 1956, Smith-Corona acquired Kleinschmidt Laboratories, Inc. of Deerfield, Illinois as part of an overall expansion and diversification program. Kleinschmidt had become a growing factor in printed communications industry with its broad line of high-speed, lightweight telegraphic communications equipment, which was being sold largely to the armed forces. This equipment, used in conjunction with Smith-Corona electric office typewriters, also had excellent commercial potential, particularly in the growing field of electronic data processing. The availability of Kleinschmidt’s highly skilled technical organization and the similarity of design and manufacturing techniques between Smith-Corona and Kleinschmidt’s products made the acquisition particularly attractive.

In acquiring Kleinschmidt Laboratories, Smith-Corona also obtained its future president, Emerson E. Mead, who was then executive vice president of Kleinschmidt.

  
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