White Sewing Machine Company facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | 1858 in Templeton, Massachusetts, United States |
| Founder | Thomas H. White |
| Headquarters |
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Ohio, United States
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Sewing machines |
| Parent | Electrolux |
The White Sewing Machine Company was a famous American company that made sewing machines for over 100 years. It was started in 1858 in Templeton, Massachusetts, by a man named Thomas H. White. In 1866, the company moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where it was based for most of its history.
Contents
The Early Years
The company first started as the White Manufacturing Company. In 1876, it officially became a corporation and changed its name to the White Sewing Machine Company.
White's sewing machines were very well-made and popular. They won many awards at big international shows, called expositions. One of its most famous awards was from the Universelle Exposition in Paris in 1889.
Starting in the 1920s, White began making sewing machines for the large department store Sears, Roebuck and Co. By the 1930s, Sears sold White's machines under different brand names, like Kenmore and Franklin.
One of White's machines, a Rotary Electric Series 77, was even placed in the Crypt of Civilization. This is a time capsule designed to tell people in the far future about life in the 1930s.
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From Sewing to Cars
In 1900, the founder's son, Rollin, designed a steam engine. He used a part of his father's factory to begin building cars. This new car business was very successful.
In 1906, the car part of the business was split off into its own company, called the White Motor Company. By 1923, the White Sewing Machine Company sold off all its other side businesses. It decided to focus only on making sewing machines and their accessories.
Big Changes for the Company
By the 1950s, the company faced new challenges. Many cheaper sewing machines were being imported from other countries. White also lost its big contract with Sears, which had been a huge part of its business.
In 1955, a new president named Edward Reddig took over. He made big changes to save the company. He started making products in other countries where it was cheaper. He also began to diversify, which means the company started selling many different kinds of products, not just sewing machines.
The company bought several famous appliance brands, including:
- Kelvinator (a maker of refrigerators)
- Gibson (another appliance brand)
- Philco (known for radios and TVs)
- Franklin (a brand that made appliances for other stores)
Because the company now sold so many different things, it changed its name in 1964 to White Consolidated Industries (WCI).
In 1975, WCI bought the major appliance business from Westinghouse. This led to the creation of the White-Westinghouse brand. In 1979, it also bought the Frigidaire appliance company from General Motors.
The End of an Era
In 1986, a large Swedish company called Electrolux bought White Consolidated Industries.
In 2006, Electrolux spun off some of its brands into a new company called Husqvarna. The White sewing machine brand was merged into Husqvarna's other sewing lines, like Viking. After 2006, no new sewing machines were made with the "White" brand name on them.
Today, the only part of the original company's name that still exists is the White-Westinghouse brand of appliances, which is still owned by Electrolux. The brands Singer, Husqvarna Viking, and Pfaff are now all owned by a company called SVP Worldwide. SVP Worldwide still provides user manuals for old White sewing machines on its website.
Famous Sewing Machine Models
- White Sewing Machine: This was the company's first major success, also known as the White Vibrating Shuttle.
- White Family Rotary: This was a very popular electric model that was later just called the White Rotary.
See also
- List of sewing machine brands
- Whitin Machine Works
