Henry R. Towne
Encyclopedia
Henry Robinson Towne was an American
mechanical engineer and businessman.
from 1861 to 1862, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
, but did not complete a degree. The university later awarded him an honorary master's degree.
Iron Works
, which was owned by I. P. Morris, Towne & Co.. In 1863, Towne was put in charge of repair work for the union gunboat Massachusetts
. During 1864-1866, Towne was placed in charge of erecting engines in monitors
for the United States Navy
. After the war, Towne went to Paris and studied physics at the Sorbonne
. When he returned, he found employment with the firm of William Sellers & Co.
, in Philadelphia.
by a mutual friend. Towne was, by this time, looking for a new business opportunity
and had become impressed about the possibilities of Yale's new "cylinder" lock. In October of 1868, the two men formed the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, to be located in Stamford, Connecticut
. Towne provided new capital and management of the firm, and Yale the invention. Yale died later in 1868, and Towne reorganized the company as Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. Towne stepped down as chairman in 1915.
Within this timeframe he developed the Towne-Halsey plan. According to F.W. Taylor and mentioned in his book Shop Management "it consists in recording the quickest time in which a job has been done, and fixing this as a standard. If the workman succeeds in doing the job in a shorter time, he is still paid his same wages per hour for the time he works on the job, and in addition is given a premium for having worked faster, consisting of from one-quarter to one-half the difference between the wages earned and the wages originally paid when the job was done in standard time."
in 1888, and his presidential address continued to address how to improve shop and worker efficiency (see "Gain-Sharing").
Towne and Link-Belt president James Mapes Dodge were responsible for maneuvering Frederick Winslow Taylor
to the Presidency of the ASME in 1906 (Noble, ABD, 269-270).
, Towne bequeathed over two million dollars to the establishment of the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in Manhattan.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mechanical engineer and businessman.
Early life
Henry R. Towne was the son of John Henry and Maria (Tevis) T. Towne. He attended the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
from 1861 to 1862, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall, also known as Saint Anthony Hall and The Order of St. Anthony, is a national college literary society also known as the Fraternity of Delta Psi at colleges in the United States of America. St...
, but did not complete a degree. The university later awarded him an honorary master's degree.
Early career
Following his year of college, Towne found work as a draftsman at the Port RichmondPort Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Port Richmond, also referred to as simply Richmond, is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable for its extremely large Polish immigrant and Polish American community. The neighborhood is also home to sizable Irish, German and Italian communities as...
Iron Works
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
, which was owned by I. P. Morris, Towne & Co.. In 1863, Towne was put in charge of repair work for the union gunboat Massachusetts
USS Massachusetts (1860)
USS Massachusetts was a large steamer acquired by the U.S. Navy prior to the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy as a gunship in the blockade of Confederate ports...
. During 1864-1866, Towne was placed in charge of erecting engines in monitors
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. After the war, Towne went to Paris and studied physics at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. When he returned, he found employment with the firm of William Sellers & Co.
William Sellers
William Sellers was a mechanical engineer, manufacturer, businessperson, and inventor who filed more than 90 patents, most notably the design for the United States standard screw thread...
, in Philadelphia.
Yale Lock Manufacturing
In the summer of 1868, Henry R. Towne was introduced to Linus Yale, Jr.Linus Yale, Jr.
Linus Yale, Jr. was an American mechanical engineer and manufacturer, best known for his inventions of locks, especially the cylinder lock. His locks are still widely distributed in today’s society, and constitute a majority of personal locks and safes. Linus Yale, Jr. was born in Salisbury, NY....
by a mutual friend. Towne was, by this time, looking for a new business opportunity
Business opportunity
A business opportunity involves the sale or lease of any product, service, equipment, etc. that will enable the purchaser-licensee to begin a business. The licensor or seller of a business opportunity usually declares that it will secure or assist the buyer in finding a suitable location or...
and had become impressed about the possibilities of Yale's new "cylinder" lock. In October of 1868, the two men formed the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, to be located in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
. Towne provided new capital and management of the firm, and Yale the invention. Yale died later in 1868, and Towne reorganized the company as Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. Towne stepped down as chairman in 1915.
Within this timeframe he developed the Towne-Halsey plan. According to F.W. Taylor and mentioned in his book Shop Management "it consists in recording the quickest time in which a job has been done, and fixing this as a standard. If the workman succeeds in doing the job in a shorter time, he is still paid his same wages per hour for the time he works on the job, and in addition is given a premium for having worked faster, consisting of from one-quarter to one-half the difference between the wages earned and the wages originally paid when the job was done in standard time."
Later years
Towne was one of the first engineers to see management as a new social role for engineers and that the development of management techniques was important for the development of the engineering profession. He laid out his ideas about the management role for the engineer in his "The Engineer as Economist." He was elected President of the ASMEAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
in 1888, and his presidential address continued to address how to improve shop and worker efficiency (see "Gain-Sharing").
Towne and Link-Belt president James Mapes Dodge were responsible for maneuvering Frederick Winslow Taylor
Frederick Winslow Taylor
Frederick Winslow Taylor was an American mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency. He is regarded as the father of scientific management and was one of the first management consultants...
to the Presidency of the ASME in 1906 (Noble, ABD, 269-270).
Death
Henry R. Towne died on October 15, 1924. His wife Cora E. White, whom he had married in 1868, died in 1917. In his willWill (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...
, Towne bequeathed over two million dollars to the establishment of the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in Manhattan.
Further reading
- Who's Who on the Web, s.v. "Towne, Henry R." (n.p.: Marquis Who's WhoMarquis Who's WhoMarquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
, 2005). - Noble, David F.David F. NobleDavid Franklin Noble was a critical historian of technology, science and education, best known for his seminal work on the social history of automation. In his final years he taught in the Division of Social Science, and the department of Social and Political Thought. at York University in...
America by Design: Science, Technology, and the Rise of Corporate Capitalism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977. - Towne, Henry R. "Engineer as Economist," Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 7 (1886), 425ff.
- Towne, Henry R. "Gain-Sharing," Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 10 (1889), 600ff.