Benjamin H. Warder
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Head Warder was an American
manufacturer of agricultural machinery. In 1902, the company he co-founded merged with McCormick Harvesting Machine Company
, Deering Harvester Company
, and two other companies to form International Harvester
.
, who had settled in Springfield, Ohio
by the time of the 1830 United States Census. Jeremiah had been a member of his father's shipping firm, John Warder & Sons (later Warder Brothers). John Warder had invested in Ohio land, and bequeathed Jeremiah $10,000 in land.
& mower
invented by William N. Whiteley. Warder's company manufactured the machines, but distribution was shared, at first, with Whiteley and others. By 1860, the Springfield firm was just Warder & Child. In 1866, it was reorganized as Warder, Mitchell & Company, with John J. Glessner and Asa S. Bushnell as junior partners. Senior partner Ross Mitchell retired in 1880, and the firm became Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Company.
It manufactured harvesting machinery – reapers, binders, mowers and hay rakes – under the "Champion" brand name. Warder and Bushnell managed the factories in Springfield, which covered 20 acres. The company opened a branch office in Chicago in 1865, headed by Glessner, which grew to become its most profitable: in 1871, the Chicago office sold about 800 machines; in 1884, it sold 25,000 machines. By 1886, the company employed more than 1000 workers, and was exporting to foreign countries. In 1908, the 2,000,000th Champion machine was sold.
Springfield, Ohio's nickname, "The Champion City," comes from the company's brand name.
is credited with the design, but died four months into the project. Richardson's successor firm, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
, completed the house in 1888.
As a memorial to his parents, he commissioned Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge to design a new public library for Springfield, Ohio. Warder Public Library
was begun in 1887 and completed in 1890.
He built a speculative office building at 9th & F Street NW, Washington, DC (1892), designed by architect Nicholas T. Haller.
Benjamin H. Warder died in 1894, while on a trip to Egypt.
Warder married Ellen Nancy Ormsby in 18xx, and they had 3 daughters:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
manufacturer of agricultural machinery. In 1902, the company he co-founded merged with McCormick Harvesting Machine Company
Cyrus McCormick
Cyrus Hall McCormick, Sr. was an American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in 1902.He and many members of the McCormick family became prominent Chicagoans....
, Deering Harvester Company
Deering Harvester Company
Deering Harvester Company was founded in 1894 by William Deering. In 1902, Deering Harvester Company and McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, along with three smaller agricultural equipment firms merged to create the International Harvester Company which is still in operation today as the Case IH...
, and two other companies to form 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...
.
Youth
He was one of the 9 children of Jeremiah Warder (1780-1849) and Ann Aston (1784-1871), Quakers from Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, who had settled in Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
by the time of the 1830 United States Census. Jeremiah had been a member of his father's shipping firm, John Warder & Sons (later Warder Brothers). John Warder had invested in Ohio land, and bequeathed Jeremiah $10,000 in land.
Career
In 1850 (or 1852), Benjamin co-founded Warder, Brokaw & Child Company, and paid $30,000 for patent rights to "The Champion," a combined reaperReaper
A reaper is a person or machine that reaps crops at harvest, when they are ripe.-Hand reaping:Hand reaping is done by various means, including plucking the ears of grains directly by hand, cutting the grain stalks with a sickle, cutting them with a scythe, or with a later type of scythe called a...
& mower
Mower
A mower is a machine for cutting grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g...
invented by William N. Whiteley. Warder's company manufactured the machines, but distribution was shared, at first, with Whiteley and others. By 1860, the Springfield firm was just Warder & Child. In 1866, it was reorganized as Warder, Mitchell & Company, with John J. Glessner and Asa S. Bushnell as junior partners. Senior partner Ross Mitchell retired in 1880, and the firm became Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Company.
It manufactured harvesting machinery – reapers, binders, mowers and hay rakes – under the "Champion" brand name. Warder and Bushnell managed the factories in Springfield, which covered 20 acres. The company opened a branch office in Chicago in 1865, headed by Glessner, which grew to become its most profitable: in 1871, the Chicago office sold about 800 machines; in 1884, it sold 25,000 machines. By 1886, the company employed more than 1000 workers, and was exporting to foreign countries. In 1908, the 2,000,000th Champion machine was sold.
Springfield, Ohio's nickname, "The Champion City," comes from the company's brand name.
Retirement
Warder retired from business in 1886, and moved his family to Washington, DC, where his house at 1515 K Street NW was under construction. Boston architect Henry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
is credited with the design, but died four months into the project. Richardson's successor firm, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge was a successful architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, operating between 1886 and 1915, with extensive commissions in monumental civic and collegiate architecture in the spirit and style of Henry Hobson Richardson....
, completed the house in 1888.
As a memorial to his parents, he commissioned Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge to design a new public library for Springfield, Ohio. Warder Public Library
Warder Public Library
Warder Public Library was the main branch from 1890 to 1989, of the Clark County Public Library in Springfield, Ohio, United States. A robust example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, the building was a gift to the city from industrialist Benjamin H. Warder...
was begun in 1887 and completed in 1890.
He built a speculative office building at 9th & F Street NW, Washington, DC (1892), designed by architect Nicholas T. Haller.
Benjamin H. Warder died in 1894, while on a trip to Egypt.
Family
Benjamin's grandmother Ann (Head) Warder had written a series of journals, including mentions of Benjamin's grandfather and father, now held by the Pennsylvania Historical Society.Warder married Ellen Nancy Ormsby in 18xx, and they had 3 daughters:
- Elizabeth (Betsey), married Ralph Nicholson Ellis (15 Feb, 1906).
- Ellen Nancy, married Ward Thoron (15 Nov. 1893, divorced 1911); married Mjr. Henry Leonard (27 July 1914).
- Alice (1877-1952), married John W. Garrett (24 Dec. 1908).
Arts patronage
- Warder MansionWarder MansionWarder Mansion is a Washington, D.C. apartment complex at 2633 16th Street Northwest. Located about 1.5 miles north of the White House, it is the only surviving building in the city by architect H. H...
, 1515 K Street NW, Washington, DC (1885-88), H. H. Richardson, architect. In 1923, the house was disassembled and relocated to 2633 16th Street NW. - Warder Public LibraryWarder Public LibraryWarder Public Library was the main branch from 1890 to 1989, of the Clark County Public Library in Springfield, Ohio, United States. A robust example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, the building was a gift to the city from industrialist Benjamin H. Warder...
, Springfield, Ohio (1887-90), Shepley, Rutan and CoolidgeShepley, Rutan and CoolidgeShepley, Rutan and Coolidge was a successful architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, operating between 1886 and 1915, with extensive commissions in monumental civic and collegiate architecture in the spirit and style of Henry Hobson Richardson....
, architects. - Tomb of Benjamin H. Warder, Rock Creek CemeteryRock Creek CemeteryRock Creek Cemetery — also Rock Creek Church Yard and Cemetery — is an cemetery with a natural rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C.'s Michigan Park neighborhood, near Washington's Petworth neighborhood...
, Washington, DC (1898), McKim, Mead and White, architects. - In 1920, Warder's widow donated a collection of American sculpture to the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, including works by William Henry RinehartWilliam Henry RinehartWilliam Henry Rinehart was a noted American sculptor. He is considered "the last important American sculptor to work in the classical style."-Biography:...
and Hiram PowersHiram PowersHiram Powers was an American neoclassical sculptor.-Biography:The son of a farmer, Powers was born in Woodstock, Vermont, on the July 29, 1805. In 1818 his father moved to Ohio, about six miles from Cincinnati, where the son attended school for about a year, staying meanwhile with his brother, a...
.