Alfred Dolge
Encyclopedia
Alfred Dolge was a New York City
and Dolgeville, New York
industrialist, inventor, and author.
He was originally an importer and manufacturer of piano
materials and later became a manufacturer of felt
products. In 1874 Alfred Dolge went to Brockett's Bridge, Fulton County, New York
, prospecting for spruce
wood to be used for piano sounding board
s. In 1887 the citizens unanimously petitioned the authorities at Washington to change the name of the place from Brockett’s Bridge to Dolgeville, New York
.
, Saxony. He attended public school in Leipzig
until he was 17 when he entered his fathers’ business, the A. Dolge and Co., Piano Manufacturers, as an apprentice. He pursued high school studies in a night school conducted by the Free Masons in Leipzig and received his diploma from them. He first came to the United States when he was 17. He remained permanently in 1868 and worked in piano making and importing in New York City.
He first came to Brockett’s Bridge, now Dolgeville
, in 1874 in search of a suitable location for more felt
manufacturing. In April 1875, he began manufacturing in the old Brockett building which he purchased, which later became the Dolge Company Factory Complex
. Within a few years Dolgeville grew from 325 to over 2,000, many of whom were German immigrants whom he had interested in the area by advertisements and agents. Eventually, Dolge built felt mills, made felt shoes, autoharp
s, piano cases, piano sounding boards, piano hammers, ran lumber yards, and contributed to the local physical infrastructure and educational needs.
Alfred Dolge failed financially and left Dolgeville in May of 1899. He lived in California and started a business there. He died in Milan, Italy on January 5, 1922 on a round the world tour. He is buried in the Dolgeville cemetery.
, Marx
, Mill
, and Adam Smith
, Dolge instituted at Dolgeville a form of what we now call social security
in his attempt to create an idealistic socialistic utopia
. About 1876, when the factory was first well established, Dolge began to set up his Pension Plan
which remained almost exactly the same throughout his tenure. It was extremely generous, ranging from 50 percent of wages for disability after 10 years service up to 100 percent after 25 years.
Later he added a system of life insurance
paid for by the firm. He also instituted a program of Earning-Sharing
whereby an employee received a portion of the earnings according to his contribution in brains or the value of his work. This was not to be turned over until retirement, but was to be reinvested. The Pension Plan was non-contributory by the employee. The employer paid all. When Dolge’s business failed in 1899, few of the benefits which he had envisioned had been paid, but the ideas which he pioneered proved to be very lasting.
His ideas gained worldwide attention. The government of Germany officially requested details of his Plan and adopted it with some changes. In 1889, the government of France asked for a detailed account. The insurance, pension and endowment plans instituted by Dolgeville were also copied and adapted by railroads and many other corporations in America. In 1896, he printed a 243 page paperbound book entitled "The Practical Applications of Economic Theories in the Factories of Alfred Dolge and Son."
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Dolgeville, New York
Dolgeville, New York
Dolgeville is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,166 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Alfred Dolge , industrialist....
industrialist, inventor, and author.
He was originally an importer and manufacturer of piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
materials and later became a manufacturer of felt
Felt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
products. In 1874 Alfred Dolge went to Brockett's Bridge, Fulton County, New York
Fulton County, New York
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,531. Its name is in honor of Robert Fulton, who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat...
, prospecting for spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
wood to be used for piano sounding board
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
s. In 1887 the citizens unanimously petitioned the authorities at Washington to change the name of the place from Brockett’s Bridge to Dolgeville, New York
Dolgeville, New York
Dolgeville is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,166 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Alfred Dolge , industrialist....
.
Biography
Alfred Dolge was born December 22, 1858 in ChemnitzChemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
, Saxony. He attended public school in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
until he was 17 when he entered his fathers’ business, the A. Dolge and Co., Piano Manufacturers, as an apprentice. He pursued high school studies in a night school conducted by the Free Masons in Leipzig and received his diploma from them. He first came to the United States when he was 17. He remained permanently in 1868 and worked in piano making and importing in New York City.
He first came to Brockett’s Bridge, now Dolgeville
Dolgeville, New York
Dolgeville is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,166 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Alfred Dolge , industrialist....
, in 1874 in search of a suitable location for more felt
Felt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
manufacturing. In April 1875, he began manufacturing in the old Brockett building which he purchased, which later became the Dolge Company Factory Complex
Dolge Company Factory Complex
Dolge Company Factory Complex, also known as Alfred Dolge and Sons Felt and Sounding Board Factories and Daniel Green Factory Complex, is a national historic district located at Dolgeville in Herkimer County, New York. The district contains 10 contributing buildings and one contributing structure...
. Within a few years Dolgeville grew from 325 to over 2,000, many of whom were German immigrants whom he had interested in the area by advertisements and agents. Eventually, Dolge built felt mills, made felt shoes, autoharp
Autoharp
The autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
s, piano cases, piano sounding boards, piano hammers, ran lumber yards, and contributed to the local physical infrastructure and educational needs.
Alfred Dolge failed financially and left Dolgeville in May of 1899. He lived in California and started a business there. He died in Milan, Italy on January 5, 1922 on a round the world tour. He is buried in the Dolgeville cemetery.
Philiosophy
Inspired by his early readings of LiebknechtWilhelm Liebknecht
Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht was a German social democrat and a principal founder of the SPD. His political career was a pioneering project combining Marxist revolutionary theory with practical, legal political activity...
, Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
, and Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
, Dolge instituted at Dolgeville a form of what we now call social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
in his attempt to create an idealistic socialistic utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
. About 1876, when the factory was first well established, Dolge began to set up his Pension Plan
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
which remained almost exactly the same throughout his tenure. It was extremely generous, ranging from 50 percent of wages for disability after 10 years service up to 100 percent after 25 years.
Later he added a system of life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
paid for by the firm. He also instituted a program of Earning-Sharing
Profit sharing
Profit sharing, when used as a special term, refers to various incentive plans introduced by businesses that provide direct or indirect payments to employees that depend on company's profitability in addition to employees' regular salary and bonuses...
whereby an employee received a portion of the earnings according to his contribution in brains or the value of his work. This was not to be turned over until retirement, but was to be reinvested. The Pension Plan was non-contributory by the employee. The employer paid all. When Dolge’s business failed in 1899, few of the benefits which he had envisioned had been paid, but the ideas which he pioneered proved to be very lasting.
His ideas gained worldwide attention. The government of Germany officially requested details of his Plan and adopted it with some changes. In 1889, the government of France asked for a detailed account. The insurance, pension and endowment plans instituted by Dolgeville were also copied and adapted by railroads and many other corporations in America. In 1896, he printed a 243 page paperbound book entitled "The Practical Applications of Economic Theories in the Factories of Alfred Dolge and Son."
Legacy
Because of Dolge, Dolgeville had these:- first Social Security, 1876
- first felt slipper and shoes made in America, 1881
- second electric dynamoDynamo- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
run by water power, 1879 (Edison’s was the first dynamo) - first public kindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
in New York State, 1889 - first park system in the Dolgeville area, 1876
- first upstate village lighted by electricity, Dolgeville 1891