Edward A. Deeds
Encyclopedia
Edward Andrew Deeds was an American
engineer, inventor and industrialist prominent in the Dayton, Ohio area
.
to Charles and Susan Deeds. Deeds graduated in 1897 from Denison University
where he was valedictorian
. He studied electrical engineering
at Cornell University
, but was unable to complete his graduate studies due to lack of sufficient funds. He married Edith M. Walton (1870-1949).
, he began working as an electrical engineer and draftsman for the Thresher Company, designing and installing electric motors. After eighteen months, he was named superintendent and chief engineer of the firm. The National Cash Register Company was headquartered in the same building as the Thresher Company and in 1899, Frederick Patterson invited Deeds to join "the Cash" to strengthen its team. There he oversaw the electrification of the NCR factories and built its first electric generating station. He left NCR to build the Shredded Wheat factory, known as the Palace of Light, for Henry Perky
at Niagara Falls
. The factory was white-tiled, air-conditioned, well-lit, and equipped with showers, lunchrooms, and auditoriums for the employees and clearly was influenced by Deeds' exposure to the ideas of John H. Patterson
at NCR. The Palace of Light preceded the Pure Food and Drug Act's requirements for a clean work environment for food production by 6 years. Deeds was a director of Perky's National Food Company.
In 1903 he returned to NCR as chief of development and construction. Deeds constructed some prototype electric motors to demonstrate that they could be used to power cash registers. He hired Charles F. Kettering to prove the concept and three years later, Kettering had a working production model which revolutionized the register business and established National Cash Register as the dominant manufacturer worldwide for decades. Deeds oversaw the establishment of NCR factories in England, France, Italy, Germany and Canada. In February 1913, Deeds was convicted of violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act
along with John H. Patterson
, Thomas J. Watson
and 25 other NCR executives and managers. He was sentenced to one year, but the sentence was never served as the convictions were successfully appealed.
Kettering and Deeds had a lifelong professional relationship and friendship. Deeds provided space in one of his barns for Kettering to work on an electric starter for automobiles. In 1909, Henry Leland of the Cadillac
Company ordered 5,000 ignition sets and Deeds and Kettering formed the Dayton Engineering Laboratories company, Delco
. Delco was eventually sold to United Motors Company which was later acquired by General Motors. Deeds was a member of the board of United Motors.
The Delco brand name was associated with original production units of the company such as Delco Light, Delco Products, Delco Moraine and others, and was also adopted into other General Motors units such as Delco-Remy and others. The research laboratories of Delco became the foundation for the General Motors Research Corporation. Deeds left NCR in 1915 to devote full attention to Delco.
Deeds contributed to the rebuilding of Dayton and formation of the Miami Conservancy District
after the Great Dayton Flood
of 1913. In 1914, Deeds and Kettering founded the Engineers Club of Dayton
.He founded the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company with Orville Wright, H. E. Talbott
, and Kettering. Deeds was appointed Chief of Aircraft Production in Washington D.C. The Delco plant in Moraine, Ohio
was expanded to manufacture the DeHavilland DH.4 bomber, the only American-built airplane to see action in World War I
. More than 3,000 were built in Moraine. The company produced the Liberty engine. In 1917, he joined the United States Army
with the rank of colonel, taking the responsibility for military aircraft procurement at McCook Field
, precursor to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
.
Colonel Deeds was also one of the founding members of the Dayton Astronomical Society (DAS), the first formally organized group of amateur astronomers in the Dayton area, founded in 1918. After the war, Deeds returned to Delco. In 1922, Deeds was instrumental in reorganizing over 100 Cuban sugar companies into General Sugar Company, from which he retired as chairman in 1946. During the Depression in 1931, Deeds returned to NCR to restore shareholder confidence, serving as its President until 1940 and honorary chairman until his retirement in 1957.
Deeds, Kettering, and newspaper magnate and politician James M. Cox
all built magnificent homes near each other south of Dayton, Ohio
in what later became Kettering, Ohio
. Deeds' home, today owned by the Kettering Health Network, was called Moraine Farm and was the first home in the United States to have a private airstrip. The home also includes an observatory that houses a 7" refractor telescope.
, titled Deeds Carillon, was built in 1942, funded by his wife Edith Walton Deeds and was designed to commemorate the Deeds family. When the tower was built, each of 23 bells was inscribed with the name of a family member, with the "silent" bells bearing the names of deceased family members and ringing bells cast with the names of family members then living. Today, with 57 bells, the carillon
is Ohio's largest. The historical elements of the park were the brainchild of Deeds himself. Also, the primary athletic field at Denison University
, Deeds Field, was named in his honor.
Deeds died at his home, Moraine Farm, in 1960. He is buried at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer, inventor and industrialist prominent in the Dayton, Ohio area
Greater Dayton
The Dayton metropolitan area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Ohio, behind the largest, Greater Cincinnati, Greater Cleveland, and Greater Columbus.-Definitions:...
.
Biography
He was born in 1874 near Granville, OhioGranville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 people per square mile . There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile...
to Charles and Susan Deeds. Deeds graduated in 1897 from Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
where he was valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
. He studied electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, but was unable to complete his graduate studies due to lack of sufficient funds. He married Edith M. Walton (1870-1949).
Career
Relocating to Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, he began working as an electrical engineer and draftsman for the Thresher Company, designing and installing electric motors. After eighteen months, he was named superintendent and chief engineer of the firm. The National Cash Register Company was headquartered in the same building as the Thresher Company and in 1899, Frederick Patterson invited Deeds to join "the Cash" to strengthen its team. There he oversaw the electrification of the NCR factories and built its first electric generating station. He left NCR to build the Shredded Wheat factory, known as the Palace of Light, for Henry Perky
Henry Perky
Henry Drushel Perky was a lawyer, businessman, promoter and inventor. Perky is the inventor of shredded wheat.- Early life :...
at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
. The factory was white-tiled, air-conditioned, well-lit, and equipped with showers, lunchrooms, and auditoriums for the employees and clearly was influenced by Deeds' exposure to the ideas of John H. Patterson
John Henry Patterson (NCR owner)
John Henry Patterson was an industrialist and founder of the National Cash Register Company. He was a businessperson and salesperson.-Early years:Patterson was born in 1844 on the family farm near Dayton, Ohio...
at NCR. The Palace of Light preceded the Pure Food and Drug Act's requirements for a clean work environment for food production by 6 years. Deeds was a director of Perky's National Food Company.
In 1903 he returned to NCR as chief of development and construction. Deeds constructed some prototype electric motors to demonstrate that they could be used to power cash registers. He hired Charles F. Kettering to prove the concept and three years later, Kettering had a working production model which revolutionized the register business and established National Cash Register as the dominant manufacturer worldwide for decades. Deeds oversaw the establishment of NCR factories in England, France, Italy, Germany and Canada. In February 1913, Deeds was convicted of violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act requires the United States federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the Act. It was the first Federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies, and today still forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by...
along with John H. Patterson
John Henry Patterson (NCR owner)
John Henry Patterson was an industrialist and founder of the National Cash Register Company. He was a businessperson and salesperson.-Early years:Patterson was born in 1844 on the family farm near Dayton, Ohio...
, Thomas J. Watson
Thomas J. Watson
Thomas John Watson, Sr. was president of International Business Machines , who oversaw that company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956...
and 25 other NCR executives and managers. He was sentenced to one year, but the sentence was never served as the convictions were successfully appealed.
Kettering and Deeds had a lifelong professional relationship and friendship. Deeds provided space in one of his barns for Kettering to work on an electric starter for automobiles. In 1909, Henry Leland of the Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
Company ordered 5,000 ignition sets and Deeds and Kettering formed the Dayton Engineering Laboratories company, Delco
Delco
Delco may refer to:* Delaware County, Ohio* Delaware County, Pennsylvania* Delco, North Carolina* Delco Electronics...
. Delco was eventually sold to United Motors Company which was later acquired by General Motors. Deeds was a member of the board of United Motors.
The Delco brand name was associated with original production units of the company such as Delco Light, Delco Products, Delco Moraine and others, and was also adopted into other General Motors units such as Delco-Remy and others. The research laboratories of Delco became the foundation for the General Motors Research Corporation. Deeds left NCR in 1915 to devote full attention to Delco.
Deeds contributed to the rebuilding of Dayton and formation of the Miami Conservancy District
Miami Conservancy District
The Miami Conservancy District is a river management agency operating in Southwest Ohio to control flooding of the Great Miami River and its tributaries. It was organized in 1914 following the catastrophic Great Dayton Flood of the Great Miami River in March 1913, which hit Dayton, Ohio...
after the Great Dayton Flood
Great Dayton Flood
The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 flooded Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding area with water from the Great Miami River, causing the greatest natural disaster in Ohio history...
of 1913. In 1914, Deeds and Kettering founded the Engineers Club of Dayton
Engineers Club of Dayton
The Engineers Club of Dayton was founded by Colonel Edward A. Deeds and Charles F. Kettering in Dayton, Ohio in 1914. The club's building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the history of the club involves notable Daytonians and historical figures such as Orville...
.He founded the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company with Orville Wright, H. E. Talbott
Harold E. Talbott
Harold Elstner Talbott, Jr. was the third United States Secretary of the Air Force.-Biography:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, in March 1888 and died in 1957...
, and Kettering. Deeds was appointed Chief of Aircraft Production in Washington D.C. The Delco plant in Moraine, Ohio
Moraine, Ohio
Moraine is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,307 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Montgomery county. Moraine, as part of the Dayton area, is situated within the Miami Valley region of Ohio, just...
was expanded to manufacture the DeHavilland DH.4 bomber, the only American-built airplane to see action in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. More than 3,000 were built in Moraine. The company produced the Liberty engine. In 1917, he joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
with the rank of colonel, taking the responsibility for military aircraft procurement at McCook Field
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917-1927...
, precursor to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
.
Colonel Deeds was also one of the founding members of the Dayton Astronomical Society (DAS), the first formally organized group of amateur astronomers in the Dayton area, founded in 1918. After the war, Deeds returned to Delco. In 1922, Deeds was instrumental in reorganizing over 100 Cuban sugar companies into General Sugar Company, from which he retired as chairman in 1946. During the Depression in 1931, Deeds returned to NCR to restore shareholder confidence, serving as its President until 1940 and honorary chairman until his retirement in 1957.
Deeds, Kettering, and newspaper magnate and politician James M. Cox
James M. Cox
James Middleton Cox was the 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio, U.S. Representative from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1920....
all built magnificent homes near each other south of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
in what later became Kettering, Ohio
Kettering, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...
. Deeds' home, today owned by the Kettering Health Network, was called Moraine Farm and was the first home in the United States to have a private airstrip. The home also includes an observatory that houses a 7" refractor telescope.
Memorials
The Art moderne-style Carillon tower in Carillon Historical ParkCarillon Historical Park
Carillon Historical Park is a 65-acre park and museum in Dayton, Ohio, which contains historic buildings and exhibits concerning the history of technology and the history of Dayton and its residents from 1796 to the present. The historical elements of the park were the brainchild of Colonel...
, titled Deeds Carillon, was built in 1942, funded by his wife Edith Walton Deeds and was designed to commemorate the Deeds family. When the tower was built, each of 23 bells was inscribed with the name of a family member, with the "silent" bells bearing the names of deceased family members and ringing bells cast with the names of family members then living. Today, with 57 bells, the carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
is Ohio's largest. The historical elements of the park were the brainchild of Deeds himself. Also, the primary athletic field at Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
, Deeds Field, was named in his honor.
Deeds died at his home, Moraine Farm, in 1960. He is buried at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio
Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum , located at 118 Woodland Avenue, Dayton, Ohio, is one of the oldest "garden" cemeteries in the United States....
.