Warner & Swasey Company
| Founded | 1880 |
|---|---|
| Founders | |
| Defunct | 1980 |
| Fate | Acquired by Bendix Corporation |
| Headquarters | , United States |
The Warner & Swasey Company was a U.S.-based producer specializing in machine tools, precision instruments, and custom machinery. Headquartered in Cleveland, it remained an independent enterprise from its establishment in 1880 until its acquisition in 1980. Created by Worcester Reed Warner and Ambrose Swasey, the firm gained recognition primarily for its two flagship product categories: astronomical telescopes and turret lathes. Additionally, it manufactured high-precision devices for observatories and military equipment such as rangefinders and optical gunsights. Following World War II, the company broadened its portfolio to include heavy machinery by acquiring the Gradall brand.
History
The partnership between Swasey and Warner began in 1866 when both were apprentices at Exeter Machine Works in New Hampshire. They later advanced their careers at Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut, a prominent machine tool manufacturer where Swasey developed the epicycloidal milling machine designed for gear production.
In 1880, departing from Pratt & Whitney, they launched their own machine-tool enterprise. After evaluating Chicago as a potential base, they ultimately selected Cleveland due to its skilled workforce, establishing their headquarters there for the next hundred years. Initially operating as a partnership without formal incorporation, their business concentrated on producing various lathe and milling machine models alongside telescopes, reflecting their combined interests in precision toolmaking and astronomy.
By the turn of the century, expanding operations necessitated formal incorporation under the name The Warner & Swasey Company. During the early to mid-1900s, their turret lathes and precision instruments played a vital role in supporting U.S. wartime manufacturing. The company adopted numerical control (NC) and computer numerical control (CNC) technologies from the 1950s through the 1970s but eventually faced challenges due to consolidation within the industry.
In 1980, Bendix Corporation acquired Warner & Swasey for close to $300 million, surpassing a competing bid from AMCA International.
In 2019, the Warner & Swasey Company Building earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cleveland.
Telescopes
The initial telescope produced by Warner & Swasey was completed in 1881 and sold to Beloit College for installation at its Smith Observatory; it featured a 9.5-inch lens crafted by Alvan Clark & Sons. Among their significant commissions were telescopes for the Lick Observatory (1888, 36-inch refractor); the United States Naval Observatory (1893); the Yerkes Observatory (40-inch refractor exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and installed in 1897); and Canada's Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (1916, 72-inch reflector). In 1919, the founders gifted their private observatory located in East Cleveland, Ohio to Case Western Reserve University, creating what is now known as the Warner and Swasey Observatory.
According to a publication issued on the company’s 50th anniversary, large-scale telescope projects were generally not profitable but demonstrated their deep commitment to advancing technology.
Observatories Featuring Warner & Swasey Telescopes
- Bosque Alegre Observatory, National University of Cordoba, Argentina
- Burrell Memorial Observatory, Baldwin Wallace University, United States
- Crane Observatory, Washburn University, United States
- Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland, California, United States
- Drake Municipal Observatory, Des Moines, Iowa, United States
- Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, NRC, Canada
- Dudley Observatory, miSci, Schenectady, New York, United States
- Durfee High School, Fall River, Massachusetts, United States
- Fuertes Observatory (Irving Porter Church Memorial Telescope), Cornell University, United States
- Hildene Astronomy Club (Robert Todd Lincoln Telescope), Manchester, Vermont, United States
- James Observatory, Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi, United States
- Kirkwood Observatory, Indiana University, United States
- Lee Observatory, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
- Lick Observatory, University of California, United States
- McDonald Observatory (featuring the Otto Struve Telescope), University of Texas at Austin, United States
- Moraine Farm Observatory (Col. Deeds 7" Refractor), Dayton, Ohio, United States
- Painter Hall Observatory, University of Texas at Austin, United States
- Perkins Telescope, Lowell Observatory, United States
- McKim Observatory, DePauw University, United States
- Mueller Observatory, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, United States
- Ritter Observatory, University of Toledo, United States
- Spacewatch 0.9-meter Telescope, Kitt Peak, University of Arizona, United States
- Stephens Memorial Observatory (Cooley Telescope - 9-inch Refractor), Hiram College, United States
- Swasey Observatory, Denison University, United States
- Tate Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, United States
- United States Naval Observatory (USNO), operated by the U.S. Navy, United States
- University of Illinois Observatory, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States
- Theodor Jacobsen Observatory, University of Washington, United States
- Warner and Swasey Observatory, Case Western Reserve University, United States
- Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States
Turret Lathes
From the 1910s through the 1960s, Warner & Swasey was a prominent manufacturer in the heavy turret lathe market. Its main competitors included Jones & Lamson based in Springfield, Vermont; Gisholt from Madison, Wisconsin; and the British firm Alfred Herbert Ltd located in Coventry.
Military Instruments
Contracts for military instruments represented a crucial portion of Warner & Swasey’s operations. During the 1898 Spanish–American War, the U.S. government frequently directed instrument procurement to Warner & Swasey. Their product range encompassed range finders, gun-sight telescopes, battery commanders' telescopes, musket sights, and prism binoculars—likely incorporating their well-known depression position finder. In World War I, essential offerings included musket sights as well as naval gun and panoramic sights.
Construction Equipment
In 1946, Warner & Swasey established its Construction Equipment Division by introducing the GRADALL®, recognized as the first mass-produced hydraulic excavator. This innovation provided flexible and efficient solutions across multiple applications. To enhance this product range, the company purchased DUPLEX TRUCK® Company of Lansing, Michigan in 1955, ensuring a steady supply of heavy-duty truck chassis for Gradall machines as well as upcoming backhoe excavators and cranes.
Aiming to expand its presence in the hydraulic excavator market, Warner & Swasey acquired Badger Machine Company based in Winona, Minnesota, in 1957. Badger’s portfolio included six HOPTO® hydraulic excavator models, which complemented the Gradall lineup. Established in 1946, Badger was known for developing the tractor-mounted HOPTO backhoe that operated via the tractor's power take-off system.
In 1967, Warner & Swasey broadened its product offerings by acquiring Sargent Engineering Corporation from Fort Dodge, Iowa, thereby adding six models of Hydra-Tower Cranes to its range. That same year marked a collaboration with a Canadian paper industry association to manufacture Arbomatik hydraulic tree harvesting equipment. This strategic diversification into hydraulic construction machinery contributed to sustained growth between 1946 and 1977. Eventually, Badger Machine was sold to Alvis International Group in 1978.
Gradall
The patent rights to produce the Gradall telescopic boom excavator were obtained by Warner & Swasey in 1946 from Ray and Koop Ferwerda of FWF Corporation in Beachwood, Ohio. The Gradall division operated out of Cleveland and was notable for being the first hydraulic excavator produced commercially within the United States. In July 1950, manufacturing operations relocated to New Philadelphia, Ohio, where Gradall Industries, Inc. continues to operate as a worldwide manufacturer of telescopic boom excavators and industrial maintenance equipment.
Following Warner & Swasey's acquisition by Bendix in 1980 and later by Allied Corp in 1983, ownership of Gradall changed hands multiple times. Allied divested Gradall to local management who formed GBKS; subsequently, ICM Industries acquired it in 1985. In 1995, investment firm Morgan, Lewis, Githens & Ahn took control of Gradall and oversaw its initial public offering while maintaining majority ownership. Between 1999 and 2006, Gradall was under JLG Industries’ ownership until it was purchased by Alamo Group of Seguin, Texas in 2006 and rebranded as Gradall Industries.
See also
James Hartness, who served as president of Jones & Lamson Machine Company—a competitor contemporary with Worcester Reed Warner and Ambrose Swasey—shared interests in advancing telescopes and turret lathe technology.
Further reading
- Baracskay, Daniel; Rebar, Peter D. (2003). The rise and destruction of the Warner & Swasey Company: a concise case study and analysis. BookMasters, Inc., Mansfield, Ohio, USA. ISBN 978-0-9727196-8-1.
External links
- 26-inch USNO Refracting Telescope
- The Beautiful Early Telescopes of Warner & Swasey, Including the J.A. Brashear and C.S. Hastings Optical Collaboration, abstract of lecture by John W. Briggs, Yerkes Observatory, 112th annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Pasadena, CA, July 15, 2000
- International Catalog of Sources: Warner & Swasey Company records to 1919
- Smith Observatory History
- Warner & Swasey Company at Abandoned