Underwood Typewriter Company

Underwood Typewriter Company

Exterior view of the Underwood Typewriter Company with a vehicle parked outside c. 1905
Company type	Private company
Industry	Business machines
Founded	1895 (1895)
Founder	John T. Underwood
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Acquired by Olivetti (1959)
Headquarters	Manhattan, New York , U.S.
Key people	Franz X. Wagner (inventor)
Products	Typewriters
Parent	Olivetti

The Underwood Typewriter Company was an American manufacturer of typewriters based in New York City, with its production operations located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is credited with producing the first widely adopted modern typewriter, having manufactured five million units by 1939.

History

Initially, the Underwood family business focused on producing typewriter ribbons and carbon paper, supplying materials to the Remington Typewriter Company. When Remington began internalizing ribbon production, Underwood transitioned into manufacturing typewriters. The inaugural Underwood typewriter was designed by German-American inventor Franz Xaver Wagner, whose concept was embraced and acquired by entrepreneur John T. Underwood.

Introduced in 1900, the Underwood Number 5 is regarded as "the first truly modern typewriter." By the early 1920s, sales had reached two million units, equaling the combined sales of all rival manufacturers. At its production peak, the Hartford facility manufactured typewriters at a pace of one unit per minute, earning Hartford the nickname “Typewriter Capitol of the World,” alongside the Royal Typewriter Company.

Following World War I, Philip Dakin Wagoner assumed leadership as president of Elliott-Fisher Company, which became Underwood's parent organization along with Sundstrand Adding Machine Co. In 1927, Wagoner consolidated these companies into Underwood-Elliott-Fisher, later renamed Underwood Corporation. John T. Underwood held the chairman position while Wagoner served as president.

Prior to World War II, Underwood constructed the largest typewriter globally as a marketing exhibit, which was displayed in Atlantic City until it was dismantled for metal during wartime. During WWII, production shifted toward manufacturing roughly 540,000 M1 carbines and barrels for the U.S. government.

In 1945, Wagoner was appointed chairman of Underwood’s board while Leon C. Stowell became president; Wagoner retained his role as CEO. In 1959, Olivetti acquired a controlling share and completed a merger by 1963, establishing Olivetti-Underwood headquartered in New York City and expanding into electromechanical calculator production.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Underwood encountered growing competition from Asian companies such as Brother Industries and Silver Seiko Ltd., amid a mature global typewriter market evolving toward electronic devices.

As of 2021, the Underwood name endures on cash registers manufactured by Olivetti S.p.A.

Notable users

Renowned authors including William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Robert E. Howard were known to favor Underwood typewriters, highlighting the brand's significant standing within literary communities.

In popular media

The Underwood name is prominently featured in the television series House of Cards, where the main character Frank Underwood is depicted using an Underwood typewriter, thereby connecting his narrative to the company's heritage. Additionally, the brand is visible in movies such as The Day of the Jackal and Finding Forrester, underscoring its cultural relevance and reaffirming its longstanding impact on the market.