Conrad Hubert
Encyclopedia
Conrad Hubert was a Russian inventor known for electric flashlights. He was the son of Russian Jewish parents who were distillers and wine producers
as were their ancestors.
to study liquor distillation
. While at this vocational school
for 6 years he worked at odd jobs for subsistence. In 1874 he returned to Minsk and became a partner in his father's business. In the next 15 years they branched out to various cities throughout Russia. Hubert had built up an reputation as an excellent businessman.
Because of the Russian persecution of Jews however, Hubert at the age of 35 decided to move to the United States in 1890. He liquidated all of his commercial property and turned it into cash. The cash, however, was barely enough to buy passage to the United States. He arrived at Ellis Island
in 1891 and, like many other immigrants, without knowing anybody. One of the first things he did then was change his birth name from Akiba Horowitz to Conrad Hubert.
famous for its batteries.
equipment in the later part of the 1890s. He obtained this patent (No. 617,592) from David Misell, which came with an "electric device" that resembles the
He soon became a millionaire. In 1914 he sold Ever Ready Company to the National Carbon Company
. He soon thereafter bought a controlling share in the Yale Electric Corporation, manufacturing batteries for automobiles and later for radios, and was the chairman of the board of directors
until his death. He was a director of Pyrene Manufacturing Company and of Fordbrad Realty and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce
of New York City and of Brooklyn. In addition to his house at 44 East 60th Street, New York, he had a winter house at Lake Wales, Florida. He was survived by two brothers and a sister. According to his will
three-quarters of his entire estate (about $8,000,000) was to be bequeathed under the Conrad Hubert Fund jointly by a Protestant, a Catholic, and a Jew to unnamed organizations that served the general public welfare. Calvin Coolidge
, Alfred E. Smith and Julius Rosenwald
decided on the distribution of Hubert's wealth.
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
as were their ancestors.
Early life
Hubert attended Hebrew school when he was a boy. In 1868, at the age of thirteen, Hubert went to BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to study liquor distillation
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
. While at this vocational school
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
for 6 years he worked at odd jobs for subsistence. In 1874 he returned to Minsk and became a partner in his father's business. In the next 15 years they branched out to various cities throughout Russia. Hubert had built up an reputation as an excellent businessman.
Because of the Russian persecution of Jews however, Hubert at the age of 35 decided to move to the United States in 1890. He liquidated all of his commercial property and turned it into cash. The cash, however, was barely enough to buy passage to the United States. He arrived at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
in 1891 and, like many other immigrants, without knowing anybody. One of the first things he did then was change his birth name from Akiba Horowitz to Conrad Hubert.
Mid life
The opportunity was not there for Hubert to start again in the distillery business, where in Russia he was well known, so he decided to start a cigar store in New York City. For the next 6 to 8 years he tried other fishes and businesses which included a restaurant, a boarding house, a jewelry store, a farm, a milk wagon route and a novelty shop. The novelty shop, American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company, is his legacy. He ultimately turned this into the Ever Ready CompanyEnergizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings is an American manufacturer of batteries and personal care products, headquartered in Town and Country, Missouri. Its most well known brands are Energizer and Eveready batteries, Schick, Wilkinson Sword and Edge shaving products, Playtex feminine hygiene and baby products, and...
famous for its batteries.
Inventions
Hubert got interested in an electrical device for lighting natural gasNatural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
equipment in the later part of the 1890s. He obtained this patent (No. 617,592) from David Misell, which came with an "electric device" that resembles the
Later life and death
Hubert continued to make improvements on his "portable electric lights" from 1903 forward. In 1905, he and W.H. Lawrence, who had manufactured the first consumer battery to power home telephones, formed the Ever Ready battery company.He soon became a millionaire. In 1914 he sold Ever Ready Company to the National Carbon Company
National Carbon Company
The National Carbon Company was founded in 1886 by the former Brush Electric Company executive W. H. Lawrence, in association with Myron T. Herrick, James Parmelee, and Webb Hayes, son of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1890, National Carbon merged with Thomson-Houston,...
. He soon thereafter bought a controlling share in the Yale Electric Corporation, manufacturing batteries for automobiles and later for radios, and was the chairman of the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
until his death. He was a director of Pyrene Manufacturing Company and of Fordbrad Realty and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
of New York City and of Brooklyn. In addition to his house at 44 East 60th Street, New York, he had a winter house at Lake Wales, Florida. He was survived by two brothers and a sister. According to his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
three-quarters of his entire estate (about $8,000,000) was to be bequeathed under the Conrad Hubert Fund jointly by a Protestant, a Catholic, and a Jew to unnamed organizations that served the general public welfare. Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
, Alfred E. Smith and Julius Rosenwald
Julius Rosenwald
Julius Rosenwald was a U.S. clothier, manufacturer, business executive, and philanthropist. He is best known as a part-owner and leader of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and for the Rosenwald Fund which donated millions to support the education of African American children in the rural South, as well...
decided on the distribution of Hubert's wealth.