Remington Rand

Remington Rand, Inc.
Company type	Public
Industry	Business machines, office equipment, computers, firearms manufacturing
Predecessor	Remington Typewriter Company, Rand Kardex Corporation
Founded	1927
Defunct	1955
Fate	Merged with Sperry Corporation to form Sperry Rand
Successor	Sperry Rand
Headquarters	Rowayton, United States
Area served	United States
Key people	James Rand Jr. (CEO)
Products	Typewriters, business machines, electric razors, M1911 pistols, UNIVAC computers

Remington Rand, Inc. was an early American manufacturer of business machines, originally recognized for its typewriters and later for producing UNIVAC mainframe computers. The company was created in 1927 through a merger and evolved into a diversified conglomerate that manufactured office equipment, electric razors, and other products. From 1943 until 1964, its headquarters were located at the Rock Ledge estate in Rowayton, Connecticut. Following 1955, Remington Rand experienced a series of mergers and acquisitions that ultimately led to the creation of Unisys.

During World War II, Remington Rand played a significant role as a principal supplier of M1911 pistols to the U.S. military.

History

Remington Rand came into existence in 1927 through the consolidation of the Remington Typewriter Company and the Rand Kardex Corporation. In its inaugural year, it broadened its portfolio by acquiring several companies including Dalton Adding Machine Company, Powers Accounting Machine Company, Baker-Vawter Company, and Kalamazoo Loose Leaf Binder Company. The company’s workforce was notably impacted by a major labor strike spanning from 1936 to 1937.

Between 1942 and 1945, Remington Rand produced more M1911A1 pistols than any other contractor during the war and ranked 66th among U.S. firms in terms of military production contracts throughout WWII.

In 1950, Remington Rand expanded into computing by acquiring two pioneering firms: Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation and Engineering Research Associates (ERA). This positioned the company as a leading computer manufacturer in the United States. The following year, it introduced the first commercially available computer, the UNIVAC I, which was utilized by various U.S. military branches and sold at approximately $1 million per unit; a total of 46 units were manufactured.

The firm merged with Sperry Corporation in 1955 to form Sperry Rand, maintaining the Remington Rand name as a division for several years thereafter. Later, Sperry combined with Burroughs Corporation in 1986 to establish Unisys.

Additionally, Remington Rand was a co-sponsor of the CBS panel program What's My Line? for much of its broadcast history.

Strike of 1936–1937

Between 1936 and 1937, Remington Rand encountered a significant labor strike following its earlier acquisition of the Noiseless Typewriter Company in 1924. Although this subsidiary retained its original name, its employees received wages from Remington Rand. In the summer of 1936, CEO James Rand Jr. sought to end the strike by dismissing unionized workers and hiring replacements, even threatening to shut down the plant entirely. The conflict intensified to the extent that law enforcement had to intervene to protect replacement workers from potential violence.

The strike was orchestrated by the Federal Union, which was affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). In response, Rand Jr. implemented the Mohawk Valley Formula, a propaganda tactic designed to weaken union backing by branding strikers as communists or anarchists and accusing them of financial irresponsibility toward their families.

In 1937, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled in favor of the striking workers, mandating that Remington Rand cease interference with union operations. Despite this victory for labor, the Middletown plant remained shuttered after the summer of 1940, leading to the loss of approximately 1,200 jobs. During this period, strikebreakers staffed the facility until its eventual closure. The former site now serves as home to Stubborn Beauty Brewery.^[1]

Typewriters

Initially manufactured by E. Remington and Sons, Remington typewriters were among the first to utilize the QWERTY keyboard layout, which was licensed from its creator, Christopher Sholes. The debut model, known as the Remington No.1, included only uppercase letters on its keys. Following the establishment of the Remington Typewriter Company as a separate entity in 1886, Remington Rand continued producing and marketing typewriters after merging in 1927.

Colt M1911

Between 1943 and 1945, to aid the World War II effort, Remington Rand manufactured 958,764 licensed versions of the M1911 pistol. This production was part of a collaborative arrangement with Colt Manufacturing Company—which was unable to fulfill demand alone—as well as with Singer Corporation, Union Switch & Signal, Remington Arms, and the Ithaca Gun Company. After the war ended, all contracts related to the 1911A1 were terminated.

UNIVAC

The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer I) holds the distinction of being the second commercial computer developed in the United States. It was designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, who had previously created the ENIAC. Originally developed by Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation, completion occurred after Remington Rand acquired the firm. The inaugural UNIVAC unit was delivered to the United States Census Bureau on March 31, 1951, with a formal dedication on June 14 of that year. Notably, the fifth unit, produced for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, gained widespread attention when CBS employed it to forecast the 1952 U.S. presidential election results accurately, predicting Eisenhower’s win based on only a 1% vote sample.

In 1949, Remington Rand introduced the Remington Rand 409, a punched card calculator controlled via a programming panel. This device was marketed as the UNIVAC 60 in 1952 and upgraded to the UNIVAC 120 in 1953, featuring twice the memory capacity. The company also maintained sales of punched card equipment following its acquisition of the Powers Accounting Machine Company in 1928, continuing this line through the 1950s.

Electric razors

Remington Rand ventured into consumer goods by launching electric razors under the Remington brand beginning in 1937. In 1979, Sperry Corporation divested this division to entrepreneur Victor Kiam, who famously promoted it with the phrase, "I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company," significantly enhancing brand awareness. Later, in 2003, battery manufacturer Rayovac acquired Remington Products; Rayovac is now part of Spectrum Brands.

External links

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